Do You Love the Honda Civic? Write a Song About it and you Could Win an All-New 2012 Civic

Honda is giving away an all-new 2012 Civic for showcasing your creative talents.  To celebrate the launch of the 9th generation Civic, Honda is looking for an original song inspired by the timeless Civic.  Log onto facebook.com/hondacivic for all the details incuding the official rules.

We're looking for an original Civic-inspired tune. Honda is giving you the opportunity to draw inspiration from any of 2012's five models - Sedan, Coupe, SI, HF or Hybrid - to produce a Civic-minded song that captures the spirit of this iconic car.

If it's good enough, you'll win a new Civic. Your song might even be chosen to be featured in Honda's interactive marketing.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Write your original theme song for one of the five 2012 Honda Civic models – Sedan, Coupe, Si, HF or Hybrid.

2. Create a profile & upload your submission right here on The Sounds of Civic competition page beginning April 25.

3. Share your song with all of your friends because the 8 songs that receive the most votes will win $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash Music Stores and a shot at the grand prize.

GRAND PRIZE

• A brand new 2012 Honda Civic
• The opportunity to perform live at a Los Angeles area tour date during the 2012 Civic Tour and to be featured in Honda's online marketing campaign.

TIMELINE

Musician Song Writing Period: 2/7 - 4/25
Submission Period: 4/25-6/5
Voting: Round 1: 6/6-7/4
Voting: Round 2: 7/5-7/17
Winner Announced: 7/18


Have fun and best of luck!

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New Devices and Laws Look to Curb Texting and Driving in Florida

From today's Orlando Sentinel, there may soon be devices that block the ability for cell phones to text while the driver's vehicle is turned on, as well as new legislation that would make it illegal to text and drive  For the full article, click on http://bit.ly/eXYJhT

Honda Wears the Made In America Badge Proudly

Did you know that in 2010, Honda produced 9 models in the U.S. for a total of almost 900,000 units.  Of those, 6 of them contain at least 70% of U.S/Canadian produced parts.

According to the April 2011 issue of Car and Driver:

Contrary to popular belief, America still builds cars—a lot of them. Nearly 8 million cars and trucks came out of  U.S. plants last year. Step back and look at the entire North American continent, and production adds up to more than 12 million units. But even if a vehicle is made by an American company by American workers, it’s not necessarily an American car, at least according to our government. By Uncle Sam’s reckoning, if  75 percent (by value) or more of a car’s parts come from the U.S. or Canada, it’s considered a domestic product; less than that, and it’s not. The maps here tell you not only where your North American–made car is built, but just how American it really is.

2011 Honda Odyssey Named IIHS Top Safety Pick

Press Release From http://www.iihs.org/

Honda minivan and 3 large GM SUV models earn 2011 Top Safety Pick award

After earning the top rating of good for roof strength, the Honda Odyssey minivan, and 3 large GM SUVs (GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse, and Buick Enclave) become the latest 2011 Top Safety Pick winners. The Odyssey is the second minivan to earn Top Safety Pick since the Institute tightened the criteria to include good performance for roof strength in rollover crashes. These vehicles earlier earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection.

In the latest tests, the roof of the Odyssey withstood a force more than 5 times the minivan's weight. By comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. In addition to good crash test ratings in all 4 Institute tests, award winners must have electronic stability control (ESC), an important crash-avoidance feature.

Our Thoughts Are With Our Friends in Japan After the Deadly Tsunami

From Automotive News

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Subaru suspended production at plants in Japan today and were assessing damage after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast, triggering a tsunami and shaking buildings as far away as Tokyo.

Honda shut down two assembly plants immediately after the temblor, spokesman Keitaro Yamamoto said. Honda's Suzuka plant in central Japan soon resumed production.  But the company's Sayama plant, north of Tokyo and closer to the epicenter, remained closed late Friday evening. Yamamoto said Honda headquarters was having difficulty contacting its plants. The Sayama plant makes several U.S.-bound models.  It sends the Fit small car, Accord sedan and the CR-V crossover to the United States, as well as the Acura RL and Acura TSX, Yamamoto said.

The company was unsure when production would resume. But Honda would close its r&d center and the Sayama and Suzuka factories at least through Monday, Yamamoto said.  At Honda's r&d center in Tochigi prefecture, one person died and 30 were injured when the quake toppled a wall at the center's cafeteria. No other injuries were reported.

Automobile Magazine Ranks the Top 6 Most Fuel Effecient Vehicles on Sale Today & 3 of Them Are Hondas

From: http://rumors.automobilemagazine.com/

With gas prices starting to climb back up to the $4 per gallon mark, we want to help you get ready so that it doesn’t hurt quite as much at the pump. Here are the 11 most fuel efficient cars within their classes on sale today; we’ve sorted them by the classes the Environmental Protection Agency uses to rate them for your handy convenience.

Most Efficient Two-Seater: 2011 Honda CR-Z, 35/39 city/highway mpg

While the CR-Z may not have been the sales success Honda had hoped for, it is still an efficient little hatchback. Opting for the continuously variable automatic transmission is what sets the hybrid two-seater at the top of its class. Even if the 109-horsepower, 1.5-liter inline-four cylinder and 13-horsepower electric motor is coupled with the six-speed manual transmission, it still returns 31/37 mpg city/highway. The slippery, wedge-shape and hatchback design both recall the mid-90s CRX coupe and means that the coefficient of drag is only 0.28 while still allowing for a capacious cargo area.

Most Efficient Compact: 2011 Honda Civic Hybrid and 2011 Honda Insight (tie), 40/43 city/highway mpg

There is no surprise that Honda’s compact hybrid duo make this list, especially given that their CR-Z cousin made the list too. Both the Civic Hybrid sedan and Insight hatchback are propelled by a combination of a 1.3-liter inline-four teamed up with an electric motor drawing from a pack of nickel-metal hydride batteries. The Civic puts down slightly more power at a total of 130 horsepower, versus the 98 horsepower of the Insight; both rout power through a continuously variable automatic transmission. Choosing between the two comes down to bodystyle preference and price; the Civic Hybrid starts at $24,700 and the Insight starts at $18,950 (including destination).

Honda is Proud to Support Little League Baseball and Here's Your Chance to Win a Trip to the 2011 Little League World Series

The Honda Double Play Giveaway

Ever wanted to attend the Little League Baseball_® World Series? Now’s your chance! Honda is offering a free trip for you and your family during the Honda Double Play Giveaway. There are two ways to win: enter for a chance to win the pin design contest, or simply rate your favorite pin design to be entered for a chance to win the sweepstakes. In addition, $5,000 will be donated to the chartered Little League_® of your choice. Click here for all the details and to enter: http://automobiles.honda.com/events-and-sponsorships/little-league-world-series.aspx

No purchase necessary. See Official Rules

Honda is proud to be a national sponsor of Little League_® Baseball and Softball for the 15th consecutive year. From great displays of sportsmanship to juicy orange slices to perfectly pitched fastballs, we've seen the kids of Little League_® Baseball and Softball accomplish seemingly unreachable triumphs. It's about sweat, sportsmanship, and teamwork. But at the end of the ball game, it's really about good play and more fun, all while participating in a game these kids truly cherish. Hats off to the real stars of the game: the players.

So here's a big thanks to all the players, coaches, volunteers, parents and countless others who make Little League_® such a success. Your selfless dedication has made the baseball diamond a great place to play, learn and grow. We're thrilled to grow with you.

The Honda Really Big Thing Sales Event Kicks Off Today at Your Central Florida Honda Dealers

Now, during Honda's Really Big Thing Sales Event, it's a great time to take advantage of great offers from your Central Florida Honda Dealers.  Choose from $0 Down, $0 First Month's payment, $0 Security Deposit, and $0 Due at Signing to go along with low lease rates or APR financing that could save you thousands.  But, you have to hurry to take advantage of these offers because Honda's Really Big Thing won't last long.  Click on http://www.centralfloridahondadealers.com/honda-specials-1.aspx for all of the offers and details.

NSX Coming Back as a Honda Model?

According to Autoblog.com, the NSX may be making its way back to the streets, but as a Honda not an Acura.

Heads up, Hondaphiles – it looks like the NSX has been dug out of storage and plopped back on the table as a candidate for production. Company president Takashi Ito has announced that he's jump-starting development on the supercar. As you may recall, the beast was unceremoniously put to bed after the global economy gutted itself back in 2008. At the time, the project sailed under the HSV-010 moniker, and Honda even went so far as to campaign a version of the machine in the Japanese Super GT series.

Since then, the supercar segment has all but exploded with new metal. Mercedes-Benz jumped into the action with its SLS AMG, Lexus came to the party with the high-tech LFA and old-timers like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R have been enjoying their own slice of supercar territory. We're all for the notion of a resurrected Honda fighter, but we're still going to treat this one with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Click on http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/04/report-honda-confirms-nsx-development-has-restarted/ for the full story

Consumer Reports Ranks Honda at Top of List For Annual Ranking of Top Automakers for 2011

Consumer Reports’ annual ranking of the best automakers for 2011 once again found Honda and Subaru at the top of the list, based on judgments about reliability and resale value, among other qualities.

The Consumer Reports annual Automakers Report Card reflects the performance, comfort, utility, and reliability of more than 270 vehicles that Consumer Reports recently tested. Each automaker's overall score is based on a composite of road-test and predicted-reliability scores for all of its tested models. The road tests score is based on more than 50 tests and evaluations, covering performance, safety, fuel economy, comfort, and convenience. Reliability scores come from Consumer Reports Annual Auto Survey, which included histories of 1.3 million vehicles.
 Honda, including its Acura division, has had the best reliability record of any manufacturer and has made mostly good to outstanding vehicles. In fact, no Honda product scores less than average in reliability. Currently, Consumer Reports Recommends 76 percent of the Honda vehicles it has tested. But some new Hondas have been unimpressive, including the CR-Z and Insight hybrids, which didn't score well enough in CR's tests to be Recommended. The redesigned Odyssey, still CR's top-ranked minivan, dropped a few points in its test score, compared with the previous year.
The Honda Fit was rated the top value small car and the best overall value of all models; in fact no Honda model was ranked below average in any category. The Toyota Prius was selected as the best value family car and the top green car. The carmaker’s RAV 4 was named best small SUV and the Sienna was judged the best “Family Hauler.” Hyundai’s Elantra won for best small car.

See the link below for the entire article from Consumer Reports.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/02/2011-automakers-report-card-who-makes-the-best-cars.html