TORRANCE, Calif. – Honda said its new Insight hybrid will be priced under $20,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. later this month, as the No. 2 Japanese automaker takes aim at eco-friendly bargain shoppers.

American Honda Motor Co. said the 2010 Insight will arrive at U.S. showrooms starting March 24 with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $19,800 for the base LX model. The Hybrid EX, which will include some premium features, will have a base price of $21,300, Honda said.

Honda has said it planned to make the Insight an economical hybrid. The car is expected to compete head-on for hybrid shoppers with Toyota’s Prius, which has long been the best-selling hybrid in the U.S.

The Honda F1 team may have a new boss, and his name is Ross Brawn. Surprised? We’re not. Ever since his days at Ferrari, Brawn has showed interest in heading his own team and here is his chance. He was brought to Honda by team principal Nick Fry in hopes of bringing some of that Ferrari luck/talent over to Honda.
New reports suggest that Fry and Brawn will both have equal shares of the team, although it will most likely be run by Brawn.

In fact, some reports have suggested that the team will be called Brawn Sport or possibly Brackley F1, Brackley being the city where the team headquarters are located in the UK. Honda has recently decided that it would be cheaper to support the team financially instead of paying hundreds of severance pay checks and so the team is still afloat.

Team driver Jensen Button is still on board whilst having taken a considerable pay cut although his new teammate has not been officially announced.
The Honda engines are no more and Brawn has been avidly promoting his new purchases, the Mercedes motors that were installed this week in advance to the Silverstone test. For F1 nuts, this means one more team on the grid with the chance of taking advantage of the new 2009 F1 rule change, we can’t wait either!

TOKYO (AP) – Honda has named Takanobu Ito as chief executive to provide fresh leadership to battle a global crisis in the auto industry.

The 55-year-old is a research and development expert with U.S. experience.

Japan’s No. 2 automaker says in a statement today that he replaces 64-year-old Takeo Fukui. Fukui will remain on the board as adviser.

Takanobu Ito to the right.

Both Fukui and Ito have said the change at the helm is a message of its determination to turn a new leaf and press ahead with technological innovations to lift Honda’s sagging business.

The change still needs shareholders’ approval at a meeting in June.

Honda’s October-December profit plunged 90%. The automaker is expecting $856 million in profit for the fiscal year ending March 31.

Source: Associated Press

Reports on the respected industry website crash.net suggest that the Honda Formula One team has been saved and will be on the starting grid in Melbourne when the grand-prix season gets under way on 29 March.

It is believed that Ross Brawn, the principal of the Brackley-based team put up for sale by its Japanese parent company back in December – has circulated an email to staff saying that a deal has been done to secure their future, and that they should begin preparing for the opening race of the season in Australia.

It is also claimed that five sponsors have been found to adorn the side of the car, and though the identity of the engine-supplier is unknown, the McLaren partner, Mercedes-Benz, is strongly believed to be the most likely candidate.

On the driving front, finally, Jenson Button will remain, with the Briton expected to be joined by the last GP2 Series runner-up Bruno Senna, who impressed in testing for the team at Barcelona in Spain late last year, with backing from a portfolio of Brazilian sponsors.

As the automotive industry is at a crossroad, Honda has decided to shelve the S2000 sports car after the 2009 model year. This comes after much turmoil in the Honda camp to restructure and re-budget their business model towards the future. Having cancelled the NSX program until further notice, Honda will produce the S2000 CR as an outgoing model. More then 110,000 units have been sold worldwide, including over 60,000 in the United States alone. For enthusiasts, this marks the end of an era as no more RWD Hondas will be available.

After having canceled their Formula One team from their Motorsports division, Honda as decided to pull the plug on the much anticipated NSX successor. At his end of the year speech, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui spoke of the cancellation of the F1 program, the cancellation of the Acura Marketing Plan for Japan and finally, the end of the NSX development. This shocking news goes hand in hand with the profit margins that Honda is forecasting for 2008, which is the mere sum of $2 billion, down 83% from 2007.

Honda is now looking into more efficient technologies such as larger hybrid lineups, diesel technology and fully electric vehicles.

Photo courtesy of Acura

If you think your man enough to challenge, then please step to the line.. Kenny will have no problem taking your paycheck or your pink slip!

I would be mighty careful, this rice rocket has many years unders its belt. Not only has this hatch been around the block a few times, its also been blown up a couple of times. Why the pink? Well, Kenny decided since the car has seen over 10 years of racing and motor swaps, why not go out with a bang! “I don’t give a shit what people think, I want PINK, I’ll get PINK!”.. Kenny says in response to anyone who asks.
At first the color can be intimidating but so is 770whp.

This car is the brainchild of many years on the side of the road.. Pink fits, don’t you think?

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