Honda Reports

Honda has gone from boring to bizarre with a recent commercial touting its Odyssey minivan. For a company whose ads are so routinely staid and predictable, Honda deserves credit for taking an offbeat approach with its 1970s and '80s inspired homage to vans of the past – even if every one of the tire-burning, hydraulic-suspension-pumping models shown are American and not Japanese. (Click on the video below to watch the Honda Odyssey commercial.) The jet-black A-Team van with its red streak down the side even gets some play in this spot, including careening through a metal gate, just as it did in the theme song that played before every episode of the campy action series from the ‘80s. Honda also rips off the A-Team theme song with a tune that sounds eerily similar. Along with the psychedelic graphics, it helps create the commercial’s funky-cool vibe. There’s no goofy voiceover, just two simple statements: "Respect the van," and "The van's still rockin'." The commercial is downright entertaining, but it feels like a cheap attempt to glom onto the cool mystique of American vans from the '70s and '80s, a point that isn’t lost on viewers. Here are some posts from the comments section of the video on YouTube: "I’d like to point out that Honda is trying to use the cool American vans of our past to sell us the crappy Jap vans of our future. This is truly sad." -- Phantomcharger "I am going to buy this because it reminded me of our American van. This is just like an American van, I mean the commercial tells us it is..." -- The Evil Crew "The American van hasn't died, peoples' tastes have." -- ThaddeusWalters Honda fans also pipe up in the comments to defend the Odyssey minivans’ merits -- and rightly so, because it has many. In fact, the Odyssey is probably the best minivan around, all things considered. It handles like a car, has every convenience feature you could want, it seats seven, has a silky-smooth and strong engine, and bulletproof reliability. But none of that changes the fact that Honda is taking a dig at Detroit with this commercial, whether inadvertently or intentionally. Post a comment below to tell us what you think about the Odyssey spot. Click here to see photos of the Honda Odyssey.

Actress Q'orianka Kilcher, 19, who played Pocahontas in the film The New World, has traded one multimillion-dollar fuel-cell vehicle for another, to become the youngest owner of Honda's utlra-rare hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity. The car's fuel cell uses a chemical reaction to convert compressed hydrogen gas into electricity to power an electric motor that drives the front wheels. Water is its only emission and the vehicle is more than two times as fuel-efficient as a gasoline-powered car, Honda says. The company is leasing FCX Clarities to carefully selected applicants chosen based on criteria such as their proximity to hydrogen fueling stations, driving patterns, and financial wherewithal. There are 58 hydrogen fuel stations in 20 states across the country, 25 of which are in California, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center website. Honda's FCX Clarity leasing program is designed to help the company research and develop hydrogen fuel cells, as well as raise awareness of the technology. Honda expects to lease several dozen FCX Clarity models per year in the United States and Japan, to reach a total of about 200 units in the first three years of production. Q'orianka is an environmental and human-rights activist, according to her bio on The International Movie Database. But she's not the first celebrity to own a Honda FCX Clarity: Actress Jamie Lee Curtis took delivery of one on July 31, 2008. A Honda spokesperson said in a recent phone interview that Q'orianka "drove the heck out of" a previous-generation FCX fuel-cell vehicle -- her first car. The company said she completed a two-year lease on it. Several years ago I drove the previous-generation FCX, which is smaller than the new model, with two fewer doors. I still remember being impressed by how quiet it was: At a stop light in congested New York City, the only noise I could hear was the chatter of occupants and the chug, chug of a diesel work truck idling next to us. The other distinct memory is of how strong the acceleration was off the line, thanks to the abundant torque from the car's electric motors - no gear changes, no hesitation, just strong, smooth acceleration. But once the car got up to about 40 mph, its electric propulsion seemed to max out, and it wasn't able to provide the kind of strong bursts of acceleration necessary to overtake vehicles. That's a trait common to most electric cars and is a function of the motors they use. The fuel cell and electric drive in the new FCX Clarity are markedly improved over those of the previous generation, Honda says, with more than a 30 percent increase in driving range to a total of 270 miles, and a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy to 68 miles per kilogram of hydrogen. The power density of the FCX Clarity's new fuel cell is also up 50 percent, and it feeds electricity to a 40-percent-smaller and 50-percent-lighter lithium-ion battery pack. At the time of my short test drive in the previous-gen Honda FCX, the accompanying Honda rep said the car's price was in the millions, which is why the company only leased them, rather than sold them. Costs associated with fuel cell technology probably haven't come down appreciably in the intervening years, and the logistical challenges of creating a viable hydrogen fueling infrastructure remain daunting. But Honda and other automakers have said that they are still committed to fuel-cell development, despite the Obama administration's recent announcement that it's pulling federal funding for fuel cell research.

After weeks of suspense, Acura has finally confirmed that it will build a new crossover utility vehicle called the ZDX. It's depicted in the veiled shots released a day at a time in recent weeks. A prototype of the ZDX will be unveiled at the 2009 New York International Auto Show on April 8. The production version will go on sale this fall. Acura calls it a "luxury four-door sport coupe" with "striking coupe-like styling with the added benefit of a commanding presence and flexible utility." Basically, that means it will have a body style similar to the BMW X6, as discussed in previous blog posts. Acura claims the ZDX will "define a new luxury category," which seems a bit of an overstatement. I'm not sure the BMW X6 has even defined a new luxury category yet, and the ZDX looks to simply follow in its footsteps. "The ZDX prototype is unlike anything you have ever seen before from Acura," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales, in a press release. "The prototype showcases a new level of luxury, style and refinement for Acura and speaks volumes towards our commitment to advancing the brand." Acura expects the ZDX to up its prestige and will use it as a platform to showcase the company's latest performance and safety technology.