Honda joins the eco-club

Honda eco-Brio

With the apparent success of the Nissan March, the first eco-car off the mark in Thailand in March 2010, Honda has said it will join the eco-market with its Brio in a five door hatchback configuration. Honda’s small car will be on sale in March 2011, according to Honda CEO Takanobu Ito and the projected base price will be THB 400,000.

Brio interior

This is slightly more than the Nissan March, which certainly stole a march on the rest of the local auto manufacturers. Now appearing with wider wheels, flares and ‘go-faster’ stripes, it is becoming quite attractive.

Honda claims it will be using a very high percentage of local content for the new eco-car, which will have a 1.2 liter gasoline engine, and most likely a five speed manual transmission, though judging by the interior photograph, an automatic transmission will be an option. The interior looks quite smart, though it is difficult to envisage ‘size’ in the picture.

Honda will develop unique versions for Thailand and India to reflect different customer needs in those markets. Moreover, with this vehicle, Honda will leverage the resources Honda has cultivated through its motorcycle business and utilize local sourcing of parts and materials such as sheet steel.

For the Thai model that is scheduled to be introduced in March 2011, the fuel economy of better than 5 liters/100 km will be met so that the vehicle will qualify as an eco-car by the Thai government.

For the Indian model that is scheduled to be introduced within 2011, local customer needs for a small car will be reflected and local content will be increased to create a model that achieves a good balance between vehicle performance and price.

“Honda would like to expand the joy of mobility to more customers in Thailand, India and other Asian countries through the introduction of a new small vehicle with compact and highly efficient packaging by utilizing our own experiences cultivated by motorcycle business here in Asia,” said Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor.

New prize fund at Isle of Man (IOM)

A new prize fund has been added to encourage more colleges and universities to enter the TT Zero races and hopefully join the TT Zero 100 Club introduced to recognize the first 100 mph laps by electric motorcycles.

Electric bike at the IOM

The Isle of Man Government’s Department of Economic Development has confirmed that the ground-breaking TT Zero Clean Emissions Motorcycle Race will again take place on the Isle of Man in 2011 as part of the TT Races. The race is now in its third year and is used by the Department as a showcase for the Isle of Man’s Clean Tech capabilities as well as encouraging enterprise and innovation.

Allan Bell MHK, Minister, Department of Economic Development, commented, “Running the electric bike race as part of the TT Races has given us an excellent platform to demonstrate the Isle of Man’s clean tech capabilities. This event continues to offer best in practice development and puts the island at the heart of innovative design and groundbreaking technology.”

The Department has also created a new ‘University Prize’ of ฃ5,000, which will be awarded to the fastest University or College team as part of the 2011 Race. University teams representing Kingston, Imperial and Brunel have already experienced the event and will be among the favorites for the prize.

The Isle of Man Government has also confirmed that there will be an iconic ‘100 Club’ set up for the first 10 teams who are able to record a 100 mph lap on an clean emissions bike. Each of the ten will also receive an iconic limited edition replica trophy, designed by a local Manx artist. Each of the trophies will be individually numbered.

It is not expected that all ten trophies will be given away in 2011. To date no team has achieved the landmark time around the almost 38 mile (60 km) course, with the current lap record holder for the class, last year’s winner, Moto Czysz, recording a winning time of 96.82 mph (23:22.89) average lap speed. This means that the ฃ10,000 prize on offer from the Isle of Man Government to the first team to record the prestigious mark is also still available in 2011.

The event has already attracted a number of individuals, universities and businesses worldwide and to date seven countries have been represented - UK, Isle of Man, USA, India, Germany, Austria and Sweden. This year new countries and teams are expected to participate in the race, which will take place on Wednesday 8th June 2011.

Interest in the TT Zero clean emissions bike race is growing since the first race in 2009 and North One Television, who control the sales and distribution of the TT Races, has confirmed that this year the programming will include an in-depth analysis of the TT Zero race in their international highlights package which will go out on leading broadcasters worldwide. The event has also attracted significant media coverage to date, both from core bike media as well as national, broadcast and specialist technology press worldwide.

We will all be driving Chinese soon

Dongfeng’s coupe

Last week I mentioned the Chinese auto production and how China is the number one producer in the world. Vehicle sales in China are predicted to reach 17 million units this year, up from 13.7 million in 2009, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. So will you be driving Chinese next year? Perhaps not, but I am sure you will by 2020.

Just run down through this list of Chinese cars and their 56 brands:
Beijing Auto Works (BAW)
Beijing-Benz
Beijing-Hyundai
Brilliance
Brilliance-BMW
BYD
Chang’an
Chang’an-Ford
Chang’an-Mazda
Chang’an-Peugeot-Citroën
Chang’an-Suzuki
Chang’an-Volvo
Changfeng
Changhe-Suzuki
Chery
Citroën
Dongfeng
Dongfeng-Honda
Dongfeng-Nissan
Dongfeng-Peugeot-Citroën
Dongfeng-Yulong
FAW
FAW-Mazda
FAW-Toyota
FAW-VW
Foday
Geely
Gonow
Greatwall
Guangzhou Auto
Guangzhou-Fiat
Guangzhou-Honda
Guangzhou-Toyota
Haima
Huanghai
Huatai
Incalcu
Jianghuai Automobile Corporation (JAC)
Jiangling Motor (JMC)
Jiangnan
King Long
Lifan
Mercedes Benz
MG (Nanjing-MG)
Roewe
SAIC
Shanghai-GM
Shanghai-VW
Shuanghuan
SouEast
Tongtian
Volkswagen China
Wuling
Xiaolong
Youngmen
Zotye

Please also note that 32 of these are not joint ventures! However, the joint venture between Dongfeng and Nissan will offer seven new passenger vehicle models in the next two years as well as its self-developed all-new brand Venucia.

The partnership between Nissan Motor Co Ltd and China’s auto group Dongfeng Motor Corp plans to sell 1.5 million vehicles in 2012, up from its previous goal of 1 million, according to Kimiyasu Nakamura, company president. That is more than the total number of vehicles produced in Thailand in any one year, and Nissan-Dongfeng is just one manufacturer.

The joint venture’s lineup includes passenger vehicles under the Nissan brand and the newly created badge Venucia whose property rights are owned by the joint venture, as well as Dongfeng-brand commercial vehicles.

The joint venture Dongfeng Motor Co Ltd was formed in 2003 with registered capital of 16.7 billion yuan. It now has a workforce of around 70,000. In 2003, it sold only 298,000 vehicles and over 1 million today. That’s Chinese progress.

Natter Nosh and Noggin

Where do the local car/bike/racing/enthusiast chaps go to chat amongst themselves? The next car meeting will be at Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to the Nova Park development. The monthly meetings are on the second Monday of the month, so this week it is on December 13 at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. This is a totally informal meeting of like-minded souls to discuss their pet motoring (and motorcycling) loves and hates. Many interesting debates come from these evenings. Come along and meet guys who have a common interest in cars and bikes, and enjoy the Jameson’s specials, washed down with a few beers. A great no-pressure evening. We would certainly welcome the local enthusiasts who enter the Autotrivia Quiz each week.

Motor racing can be dangerous

In the early 1990’s, and just for some fun, I was racing in the Isuzu Gemini one-make series in Australia. Inoffensive little Gemini’s with a top speed of around 160 kph. How could that hurt me? After all, by this stage we had roll cages, special fireproof race suits, six-point harnesses, the works. In answer to my wife who suggested that perhaps at my age I was “past it” I replied that the car was so slow compared to what I had been driving, that I could step out going down the straight and I wouldn’t hurt myself. I was about to prove that statement totally incorrect!

I was sitting in that!

At the very next race I was nudged into the fence on the back straight and as I lightly touched the Armco, I thought, “I’m going to break a headlight here.” I had no sooner generated that thought when there was an almighty bang and when I managed to focus my eyes again, I was sitting backwards in the middle of the track and there were licks of orange going across my eyes, and the interior mirror started to melt. I was in the middle of an inferno, and what’s more, the car was so twisted, the doors would not open.

You get around one minute in a fireproof suit to get out and I used that just to kick the door open, to be met with more flames, but rolling myself into a ball I was able to roll through and out of the fire.

I was lucky, burns to my back, face, no eyebrows or eyelashes left and severe bruising. What had happened was another car had rear-ended me doing 160 kph, climbing so far into my car he went over the rear axle, pushing the fuel tank through the back seat and the fuel exploding.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I asked you to look at the photo. I wanted the car, the year and the man. The clue: GM. It was Harley Earl the GM designer and the 1938 Buick.

So to this week. Sleeve-valve Panhards had an SS monogram on the radiator to denote “sans soupapes” (no valves). Who was next and came up with an SSS model?

For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected]. Good luck!

Quiz Car