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Honda named #1 brand in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend survey

Honda took the No. 1 slot among full-line automotive brands in a closely watched ranking of dozens of consumer products and service brands.

The automaker, which maintains its Honda of America Manufacturing Inc.    subsidiary in Marysville, beat out Toyota and last year’s top automotive brand, Ford, for the top spot in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Honda ranked No. 3 in last year’s study.

Harris took the pulse of more than 38,500 consumers online from Jan. 31-Feb. 20 to compile an equity score for more than 1,500 brands. The score is based on measures that include public awareness of the brand and whether consumers want to do business with it.

Honda’s equity score topped out at 62.55, edging Toyota’s 62.51. The category average score was 53.02. Rounding out the top eight full line automotive brands were Chevrolet, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai and Volkswagen, which ranked Nos. 4-8.

Honda’s Acura division also ranked among the best luxury automotive brands this year. Acura ranked No. 5 in the EquiTrend study behind Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and Cadillac. Infiniti and Audi both ranked lower than Acura.

After being battered by natural disasters, a panned Civic design and slow sales in 2011, Honda has recovered in 2012 with improved sales and some positive exposure in recent rankings.

Last week, the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study ranked Honda No. 5 behind four luxury brands, with several models ranking among the best in their categories. Sales spiked by 47.6 percent to 133,997 in May, thanks in part to improvements in sales of its Accord and Civic sedans.

 

 

courtesy of bizjournals.com

Tip of the Day: Fix small windshield chips

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Got a rock chip, crack, or ding in your windshield? Bring your car to a windshield repair shop. For far less cost than replacing the windshield, they can fix chips and cracks, even quite long ones. The repairs not only keep the chips and cracks from spreading and restore structural integrity, they also improve clarity.

 

 

courtesy of rd.com

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the 2012 Honda Accord Coupe

When you buy a Certified Pre-Owned Honda, you're not just buying another used car. Honda has a stringent 150 point checklist that vehciles must pass to be considered Honda certified.

Go to our website to learn more

Honda North America's output is up 67%, making it the leader in the region

Honda Motor Co. (7267) has raised output at North American plants by the fastest pace of any carmaker in the region this year as the company pushes to reclaim U.S. market share lost to competitors and natural disasters in 2011.

Honda plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico built 748,217 cars and light trucks in the year’s first five months, a record for the period and 67 percent more than a year earlier, according to the company. Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Asia’s biggest automaker, followed with a 64 percent North American increase to 787,777 vehicles.

“We’ve been doing everything we can to make up for lost time,” Tom Lake, Honda’s head of North American purchasing, said last month in an interview in Raymond, Ohio.

Honda, the third-largest Japanese carmaker, and Toyota are targeting gains of 10 percent or more in U.S. sales this year. Honda, Toyota and Nissan Motor Co. (7201) are also racing to limit exposure to a sustained rise in the yen against the dollar by shifting output and parts purchases from Japan.

The Japanese currency last traded at about 79.4 yen to the dollar, compared with 91.7 yen to the dollar two years ago and 122.7 yen five years ago.

“Long before the yen became as strong as it is today we’d identified plans for localizing certain specialized parts or materials we’re buying from Japan,” Lake said. “The shift in the exchange rate increased the urgency in getting that done.”

Nissan, tapping alternative supply sources through its alliance with Renault SA (RNO), was able to rebound faster from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and lost less production in North America from parts-supply issues.

Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, increased output at U.S. and Mexican plants by 23 percent this year to 562,971, said David Reuter, a company spokesman.

The high exchange rate means Japan’s automakers are also limiting export, Alec Gutierrez, Kelley Blue Book’s auto market analyst, said in a statement June 13.

“Although exports will be managed to limit losses, Japanese manufacturers will continue to do whatever is necessary to maintain share,” he said.

Production of cars and light trucks in North America by all manufacturers increased 22 percent through May to 6.57 million vehicles from 5.38 million a year earlier, according to trade magazine Automotive News.

Among the region’s largest automakers, General Motors Co. (GM)’s output is up 5.4 percent to 1.41 million through May; Ford Motor Co. (F)’s grew 4.4 percent to 1.15 million; and Chrysler Group LLC had a 23 percent increase to 1.02 million, according to company statements.

Japan’s three largest automakers are also producing vehicles in North America at a rate indicating each will set records this year.

Sustaining the current pace means Tokyo-based Honda will produce more than 1.7 million Honda and Acura brand autos in the region this year, topping its best-ever 1.43 million in 2007.

 

 

courtesy of bloomberg.com

Tip of the Day: Lighten the load on your keychain

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Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.  The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.  To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others.  Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail.  Replace it before you get stranded.

 

courtesy of rd.com

The 2012 Honda CR-V has been given the stamp of approval in this review

The latest and greatest version of the 2012 Honda CR-V is a winner. The compact crossover is a looker that encompasses a definite all-across-the-board appeal. 

At first glance, the CR-V 's exterior design is sleeker and more aggressive compared to its predecessor. It has an aerodynamic stance that gives off a cool vibe, so unlike the grandmotherly models of yesteryear. A bolder fascia with a three-bar grille, deeply set headlights, more prominent sculpting along the sides, longer roofline, an integrated front bumper that wraps upwards, vertical taillights, beefy fenders flares, large wheels--the CR-V 's entire look says, "I'm a lil' badass!"

The interior of the CR-V feels sedan-like. The seats front and back are hands-down comfy, supporting you every which way, really good thigh support. The door armrests don't cause elbow nerve pain on long trips! The visibility all-around is noteworthy. Special attention was certainly paid to usable storage spaces like the center console which is roomy enough for your purse or secret stash of on-the-road edibles.

 

courtesy of examiner.com

Don't miss this great deal on a 2012 Accord 3.5!

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