Toyota and Honda spending big on incentives

Toyota has always tried to keep prices near MSRP even through the lowest of times like the U.S car market crash of 2008.

However with the recall of over eight million vehicles due to the “unintended acceleration” problem that has been so widely reported, Toyota was having a public relations nightmare. With profits dropping like the proverbial stone Toyota had to do something to regain its showroom sales. Read more

Honda Recall Joined By Peugeot: Cars made with Toyota

It’s been a busy few days with recall news towards the end of January 2010. We reported a few days ago that Toyota had issued a new recall list and they suspended sales of the models affected, this was followed with a Honda recall that included 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City cars.

Today we hear that the Honda and Toyota recall has been joined by Peugeot, they have issued a statement that “Peugeot 107s and Citroen C1s” will be recalled just like Toyota, which a spokesman said would be an “identical campaign as Toyota”. Read more

Honda Recall for 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City Cars

Honda has joined Toyota and issued a recall for certain vehicles, this is not a great start to 2010 for both Japanese carmakers and as a result has affected their share prices. The Honda recall involves 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City Cars. Read more

Video coverage of Detroit Auto Show 2010

Today saw the start of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show and with all the latest news comes a huge selection of video coverage; this best place to visit for these videos is YouTube. This is the one and only place where you will find an extensive choice of videos for you to view at your leisure. Read more

Detroit Auto Show 2010: Volkswagen Compact Coupe Hybrid Debut

The 2010 Detroit Auto Show is now well under way and we have already seen some great cars being unveiled, this includes the GMC Granite and the new Ford Focus. However, Volkswagen is now getting in on the action, as their New Compact Coupe (NCC) Hybrid gets its debut. Read more

Detroit Auto Show 2010: GMC Granite Concept like Chevy Orlando

General Motors (GM) knows how well Ford are doing, so hope that their latest concept, the GMC Granite will be able to entice drivers back to their brand. GMC are not ones for concept vehicles, but feel the need for change so have brought one with them to the 2010 Detroit Auto Show today. Read more

Positive Auto Sales even after Cash for Clunkers

The first full month auto sales are in, one month after the end of the governments Cash for Clunkers scheme or CARS. The auto industry had expected sales to fall dramatically, but that fall to their surprise did not happen. Nine auto brands said that their September sales were more positive compared to the same period last year. Read more

Honda’s Aggressive Strategy: Hybrid Green Technology

Honda’s new president Takanobu Ito has announced that he will draw upon the legacy of Honda’s founder to try to ride the current storm in the auto industry; he will do this while trying to offer an aggressive strategy with its hybrid green technology. Read more

Honda Motor Co. slashes forecast profit by 62 percent

Honda Motor Co. have been forced to slash their sales profit forecast by an astonishing 62 percent, a direct result of a 13-year high for the yen against the dollar. Another factor is the slump in Honda cars sales in not only North America but also Europe as well. Read more

2009 Honda Fit gets a price

Japan’s popular subcompact car, the Honda Fit was launched last October but they have now announced an updated version that will be available in Canada as a 2009 model. The launch date that Honda gave was September 15.

The updated model has had the width, the overall length and the wheelbase increased, which has given passengers more space. They have also increased the maximum cargo capacity to 1622 litres, which is up from the previous 1186 litres. And I know how handy a little extra space can help for all those shopping trips.

Because the Honda Fit has gained a little extra weight, the engineers have grafted a brand-new 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine. You have the choice of either a 5 speed automatic or manual transmission that produces 117hp.

There will be four versions available, the Sport at $19,280, the LX at $17,380, the DX-A at $16,280 and the DX at $14,980. You can also check out all our auto news here.

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Toyota Profit hits five year low: Down 28 percent

Toyota Motor Corp. has seen a huge drop in their profit, the biggest in five years. The world’s second-largest carmaker has blamed poor sales of sport-utility vehicles and trucks, due to high fuel prices.

Toyota has reported that their net income has fallen by 28 percent to 353.7 billion yen or $3.2 billion, shares are now just 112.28 yen a share. The year earlier net income was 491.5 billion yen, or 153.89 yen per share.

According to Bloomberg, Toyota’s operating profit in North America feel by 57 percent, as we mentioned it is the sale of larger vehicles that have seen the biggest drop. Katsuaki Watanabe, President of Toyota Motor Corp. has had to halt the production of Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs for three months as a result of high oil prices.

Toyota has always been known for their larger vehicles, where Honda seems to produce smaller and fuel-efficient cars. This has seen an 8.1 percent gain for the automaker.

It is not just Toyota who is being hit with huge profit losses; Ford and GM are two more to add to that list. Automakers are now facing a fork in the road; they now have some tough decisions to make. One thing is certain; they will all have to think about producing smaller fuel-efficient cars.

Honda Fit recalled: due to a faulty sensor

Honda are recalling 34,000 of the Fit, the reason for this is due to a faulty sensor. The sensor which has the fault is the one that will detect a child seat or if a passenger is out of position. The 34,000 Honda Fit’s are in the U.S. and the fault is caused by Read more

Last 30 News & Products: 01-21-2008

The New Honda WOW: Ideal for Pet Owners

I am the same as most pet owners and my pooch is just as spoilt as my children. Finally there is a car from Honda which is doggy friendly.

It is called WOW which stands for Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon. It is designed to give you and you pet comfort on outings. Read more

Honda Fit shows that the small car rules when it comes to sales

When Honda previewed their new small car called the Fit back in 2006 in the US many people laughed, but now it seems as if Honda are laughing back as the sales of this environmentally friendly cars Read more

Biker Beckhams Arrived At Silverstone

David and Victoria Beckham arrived at Silverstone in their “his and her” biker outfits.

The couple were led to the Honda pit garage where they chatted to Hamilton’s British rival and former F1 wonderkid Jenson Button.

While they were there they also spent their time signing autographs Read more