Less fuel efficient, but more sporty?

Honda has announced that the Honda CR-Z hybrid will go on sale August 24 in the US. While final pricing hasn’t officially been announced, the base model should begin at just under $20,000 and top out at »»]]> ***

Less fuel efficient, but more sporty?

Can – should – a hybrid be sporty?

Honda has announced that the Honda CR-Z hybrid will go on sale August 24 in the US. While final pricing hasn’t officially been announced, the base model should begin at just under $20,000 and top out at $24,000 for the higher end of three trim levels.

But, we’ve already known those specs. What we really want to know is, what does it mean to be a sporty hybrid? Can a hybrid be sporty? Should a hybrid be sporty?

While ’sporty hybrid’ might sound like an oxymoron, there is no reason to believe that hybrid technology cannot provide a sporty experience; however, whether the CR-Z hybrid actually lives up to the term ’sporty’ is debatable.

According to Cars.com, for instance, the Honda CR-Z provides “unexpected comfort” and that, at least, is a good start. From there, however, the business case behind the CR-Z hybrid begins to fall apart according to Cars.com. Because the CR-Z offers less space, seating and functionality than the Honda Insight, for example, Cars.com questions whether the CR-Z offers a enough power and zip to justify its lower fuel economy compared to Honda’s other hybrid cars.

Overall, the CR-Z hybrid should average a combined 34 – 37 mpg, depending upon transmission, as the CR-Z hybrid will be offered in both a 6-speed manual transmission and an automatic transmission.

On the other hand, the Insight hybrid achieves a combined 41 mpg and the Civic hybrid 42 mpg.

Gearhead-orientated MotorTrend, ironically, found the CR-Z hybrid to be much more entertaining.

“But those willing to open their minds to a next-millennium motoring experience uncolored by expectations rooted in the past will find much to love in this small-footprint (size- and carbon-wise) sportster. The hybrid system’s Sport mode amps up the acceleration performance with extra electric assist at low rpm and dials back the electric power steering assist to a quite sporting heft vaguely reminiscent of the unassisted helm in the CRX.”

So, is the CR-Z worthy? I guess consumers will have to make that decision.

Anyway, Honda is hoping this new hybrid will appeal to the 25 – 35 year old, young professional cohort, which definitely seems to make sense, and if base pricing can stick below $20,000, maybe this is the CRX of a new generation.

Thus, if such a vehicle can excite the next generation of auto consumers to appreciate hybrid technology and the relevance of better fuel economy, as I recently speculated in Luxury, smuxury. Sporty hybrids set to fuel change, then I’d say that even sporty hybrid cars can be worthy. Schwiiiing!

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Most cost-effective hybrid to own

Looking for the cheapest car to own?

Then think Japanese according to the latest research by Edmunds. And if you are interested in a hybrid with the lowest cost of ownership, it’s the Honda Insight.

Overall, according to the researchers at Edmunds, hybrid vehicles »»]]> ***

Most cost-effective hybrid to own

A good hybrid deal

Looking for the cheapest car to own?

Then think Japanese according to the latest research by Edmunds. And if you are interested in a hybrid with the lowest cost of ownership, it’s the Honda Insight.

Overall, according to the researchers at Edmunds, hybrid vehicles – as a segment – do not provide the lowest total cost of ownership, despite the significantly better fuel economy hybrids offer.

True cost of ownership was based upon 5 years of ownership with a particular focus upon depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, regional variances, maintenance and repairs.

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Too much focus on tomorrow?

The hybrid for all of us. That was the promise of the Honda Insight. Instead, it’s been the hybrid for very few of us. Despite the fact that Honda beat Toyota to the hybrid game, Honda still has yet to show »»]]> ***

Too much focus on tomorrow?

Too much focus on tomorrow?

The hybrid for all of us. That was the promise of the Honda Insight. Instead, it’s been the hybrid for very few of us. Despite the fact that Honda beat Toyota to the hybrid game, Honda still has yet to show real leadership on hybrid cars.

But it isn’t just hybrid leadership, or the lack thereof, that has many wondering if Honda has lost its engineering mojo.

The new Civic, for example, was recently delayed, and many believe that the new Civic simply wasn’t up to the challenges of increasing competition in this space. In fact, many believe Honda’s newest vehicles are “sloppily designed, not very good to drive and even worse to look at.”

Moreover, for the past few car show seasons, the most interesting Honda vehicles have been fuel cell vehicles, Honda’s holy grail, but a technology that is still many years away from the mainstream. Nonetheless, for years Honda has remained bearish on hybrids, although the company has softened that stance to some extent recently, and Honda continues to be anti-plug.

Based on current rates of adoption and many long term adoption projections, Honda’s stance against hybrid and plug-in vehicles might be somewhat logical, but not for a company that is supposed to offer the best engineering in the auto industry. A truly great hybrid, plug-in hybrid or EV shouldn’t be an option for Honda, it should be mandatory.

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Tomorrow I’ll be attending press days at the LA Auto Show, and the big theme at this year’s show is once again ‘green’. This year, however, things are a bit different than past years. Instead of hybrid cars or clean diesel vehicles, the path to green is small »»]]> The Chevy Cruze

Tomorrow I’ll be attending press days at the LA Auto Show, and the big theme at this year’s show is once again ‘green’. This year, however, things are a bit different than past years. Instead of hybrid cars or clean diesel vehicles, the path to green is small cars, particularly a number of new offerings from the Big 3.

While this is great news, I cannot help but wonder, is this too little, too late?

Toyota and Honda have always done a pretty good job selling small cars in the US, and they will probably continue to do well. However, both automakers have hinted that smaller, cheaper hybrids will be critical to their future small car plans.

For now certainly the Chevy Cruze, for instance, will sell. Still, a semi-loaded automatic version of the Cruze will probably list for $18,000 – $20,000. But, what happens if Toyota can sell a slightly smaller Prius for around the same price, or if Honda can sell an even cheaper Honda Fit hybrid?

Without question, the Big 3 should proceed with their small car plans. Nonetheless, are the Big 3 avoiding small hybrids today much the same way they avoided small cars in general for the last few decades? Ultimately, aren’t the Big 3 simply chasing the small car US segment when they instead should be showing some real leadership and vision in this segment?

By J. Nicholas Hoover InformationWeek

Many business technology organizations are pursuing green computing, but what does that actually look like? At Honda’s new data center in »»]]> The automaker’s new $25 million, 62,000-square-foot data center is one of a handful in the United States that’s certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

By J. Nicholas Hoover
InformationWeek

Many business technology organizations are pursuing green computing, but what does that actually look like? At Honda’s new data center in Longmont, Colo., it entails floors made of recycled concrete, office furniture crafted of reused steel and newsprint, low-flow automatic faucets, motion-sensor lights, energy-efficient servers, outside air for cooling, and an Energy Star-certified roof.

Honda isn’t insulated from the economic pressures squeezing U.S. automakers; its U.S. sales fell 32% in November compared with a year ago. Honda’s green IT push should lead to lower energy costs and other efficiencies, though the bigger impetus is a company-wide commitment to being environmentally friendly, says Jennifer Sepull, CIO of American Honda.

Honda’s 61,000-square-foot data center, which opened in October, is one of a handful of U.S. data centers certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system for green building construction. Honda spent more than $25 million on the data center, a price that included a premium for its green design. Because the facility is only 2 months old, Sepull declined to estimate just how much Honda stands to save in energy costs.

Honda selected building materials based on proximity to the data center’s location and materials that were produced in an “environmentally responsible manner,” Sepull says. And it recycled 73% of the construction waste associated with the project. The company left much of the site undeveloped and replanted trees and shrubs indigenous to the area.

Data center administrators were trained in how to be more energy efficient. For example, they were advised to decommission unused equipment quickly and to use management tools to ensure that servers are optimally provisioned. Honda has found that energy-monitoring tools aren’t up to snuff and that the data they generate needs to be more comprehensive. “They’re just coming on the market,” Sepull says. “We monitor electricity, but monitoring will get more advanced to give us better day-to-day awareness.”

The data center is just one example of a broader push. Like other companies, Honda is using videoconferencing in lieu of air travel when possible. The conference room used by its IT department has two flat-screen monitors. Just last week, Sepull avoided a trip to Japan thanks to the setup.

The company recycles everything from old computers to server racks to batteries and overhead projectors; employees lugged in 9 tons of equipment last year from their homes and offices.

BLACK AND WHITE
It’s saving on paper and ink, too. Within the last few months, Honda set defaults to black-and-white and double-sided printing everywhere in the company. That step alone is saving tens of thousands of dollars.

During a town hall meeting last year, Sepull gave her troops a call to action. Soon after, an employee-led “official green club” sprouted to brainstorm and bring in outside speakers to talk about green IT.

Honda’s now considering eliminating screen savers in favor of having monitors turn off. It’s also looking at desktop virtualization. Consolidation of systems continues, as does an increase in shared services among the company’s regional and global divisions.

The drive toward energy efficiency will continue and, along with technologies like demand planning software, will help Honda keep moving forward in a tough economy. Says Sepull, “There’s no complacency.”
By informationweek