Tag Archives: Jazz

Mengapa Harus CVT?

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Transmisi otomatis di era moderen sudah menjadi teknologi wajib atau minimal pilihan yang menarik bagi kalangan pengendara mobil terutama di kota-kota besar yang padat kendaraan. Kenyamanan hanya menginjak gas dan rem, membuat pengendara transmisi otomatis tidak merasa selelah mereka yang menggunakan transmisi manual dalam kondisi macet.

Akhir-akhir ini, produsen otomotif Jepang mulai menggunakan teknologi CVT (Continous Variable Transmission) untuk transmisi otomatis mereka. Nissan memang yang pertama menjadi advokat teknologi ini, dengan menyertakan CVT di hampir semua produk mereka dari sedan hingga MPV besar. Dengan klaim kenyamanan berkendara yang optimal serta efisiensi bahan bakar, teknologi CVT menjadi ciri khas dari produk mobil Nissan. Honda di Indonesia sempat menjajal pasar dengan teknologi CVT pada produk Honda Jazz dan City pada tahun 2004 sebelum kembali menggunakan transmisi multi percepatan pada Jazz dan City generasi ke-2. Namun, dengan dibawah bendera Earth Dreams, Honda memperkenalkan kembali teknologi CVT yang hampir menyeluruh diadopsi dari model kelas pemula seperti Brio hingga kelas premium seperti Honda Accord dan Odyssey. Bahkan, Honda Civic dengan mesin turbonya juga telah menggunakan CVT.

Pengadopsian teknologi CVT yang massal oleh Honda bukanlah tanpa sebab, seperti Nissan, insinyur Honda tampaknya telah menyempurnakan beberapa aspek teknologi CVT mereka untuk menghasilkan performa, kenyamanan dan efisiensi untuk semua mobil Honda. Lalu Anda bertanya, apakah CVT dan mengapa Nissan serta Honda berbondong-bondong mengusung teknologi ini?

CVT, atau Continous Variable Transmission memiliki satu keunikan dibandingkan dengan semua teknologi transmisi otomatis yang ada di dunia, yaitu ketiadaan roda gigi. Transmisi multi percepatan memiliki roda gigi dengan rasio-rasio tertentu, seperti halnya transmisi manual. Untuk mencapai akselerasi tinggi, gigi rasio tinggi digunakan dan untuk mencapai efisiensi mesin tertinggi, gigi rasio rendah digunakan. Untuk mendapatkan kombinasi jumlah roda gigi yang ideal, diperlukan banyak roda gigi atau jumlah percepatan, yang menyebabkan ongkos material meningkat dan ukuran transmisi yang memanjang. Honda sendiri sudah mengembangkan dan menjual mobil dengan transmisi 10 percepatan pada mobil Odyssey di Amerika Serikat, namun hanya terbatas pada satu tipe termahal saja. Untuk produk massalnya, Honda tetap berpegang teguh pada penggunaan CVT.

CVT mengentaskan masalah jumlah gigi dengan solusi ideal, yaitu daripada menggunakan jumlah gigi yang banyak, CVT menggunakan dua buah pulley, memutar rantai besi yang membesar dan mengecil, menyesuaikan dengan kerja putaran mesin. Hal ini membuat kendaraan berakselerasi tanpa henti hingga titik tenaga tertinggi tanpa diperlukannya perpindahan gigi karena kedua buah pulley tersebut menyesuaikan besaran rasio gigi secara terus menerus.

Dalam keseharian saya mengendarai Brio dengan transmisi otomatis 5 percepatan, sangat terasa kondisi-kondisi dimana transmisi mengalami kebingungan untuk turun gigi atau tetap pada gigi yang berjalan, terutama ketika ingin mendahului mobil di jalan tol. Ketika saya menginjak pedal gas untuk mendahului, terkadang gigi turun sehingga mobil berakselerasi cepat tapi terkadang tidak, dimana saya harus menginjak pedal lebih dalam supaya gigi melakukan kickdown dan berakselerasi. Kondisi ini terjadi ketika rasio gigi yang dipilih berada di ambang tengah kedua rasio gigi terdekat. Dengan CVT, kondisi ini tidak akan pernah terjadi karena rasio gigi berubah sesuai kebutuhan, hanya tergantung beban mesin saja dan apakah sudah mencapai batas tenaga mesin yang mampu diberikan.

Tanpa adanya perpindahan gigi tentu membuat transmisi CVT menjadi sangat nyaman. Sayangnya tidak semua setuju. Untuk pengendara yang biasa membawa kendaraan manual maupun transmisi otomatis multi percepatan, ketiadaan hentakan perpindahan gigi membuat mengendarai kendaraan dengan CVT terasa aneh. Untungnya, CVT dapat diprogram untuk mensimulasikan rasio gigi tetap. Tapi hal ini tidak diperlukan dan bahkan mengurangi efisiensi CVT dari segi akselerasi dan penggunaan bahan bakar.

Honda VEZEL, JDM New Baby CR-V is Stunning

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Stunning is one word best describing Honda new compact SUV, the Vezel. Launched this December in Japan, the compact SUV which is based off the Fit/Jazz plank is amazingly well designed. For quite sometimes, I criticize Honda design language for being too safe which is good for not offending those with sensitive design issue, but boring nonetheless.

The Vezel however… Well… Let’s just say the Vezel is the most beautiful production Honda car I’ve seen in 10 odd years, besting the S2000, Accord Euro (Acura TSX) and the Acura ILX. The sculpted lines are greatly defined, where a line starts, it ends gracefully and functionally. Take a look at the crease from the side profile, it looks like it came out of nowhere, but to me it looks like an end of a circular line from the A pillar to the hidden door handle and finishing on the front doors, which if you take a measurement divides the area on the upper and lower part dead in the center-ish. The swooping roofline is pronounced even more with the upper rear spoiler and the rear featuring panel formed lighting integration, much better than the third generation CR-V. The front featuring compound HID and LED cluster is bold and premium looking, contemplating the new Honda wing design language.

But the most amazing part of the car, despite its premium looking design is that… It was based on the Fit (using Jeremy Clarkson and his snarky expression). Yes, from the market that brought us the kind of big actually small Suzuki SX4 crossover and Nissan oddly looking Juke, the Vezel is a jacked up compact car which means it won’t punch a hole in your wallet.

Power comes from Honda Fit 1.5L newly developed i-VTEC DOHC with available hybrid engine option. Now for a tall car like this, you will be surprised that Honda is making the car available with a 1.5L engine at all… Well, worry not since Honda new L15 engine produces 132 Ps @ 6600 RPM and 155 Nm @ 4600RPM… And you’re saying what? Well, 2004 Honda Stream which uses D17 1.7L engine produces 129 Ps @ 6300 RPM and 154 Nm @ 4800 RPM. So to the technically challenged, that means the new 1.5L engine is simply more powerful than the old 1.7L engine. My family used to own 2004 Stream with D17 and 4AT. That engine is pulling a 7 seater wagon with gusto, I don’t see why the L15 will not be sufficient for the Vezel.

I’m pumped, this is the for a long time I wanted a Honda car so bad, not since the Prelude (lost dream). Seeing that Nissan with the gaudy Juke is making quite a business case in the developing countries (potholes and standing water in rainy season problems), the Vezel with its proper mini SUV design is guaranteed an easy sell.

More info as the car is officially unveiled at Tokyo Motor Show.

Source:

Honda Japan Vezel website

Driving The Hotness – Honda Freed 3258 Km Later

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*photos coming next

Driving the Freed is very nice, but emphasis on the word nice. It’s not great, the seat could use more bolster, the steer only tilts not telescopic and the driver seat only has reclining and sliding adjustment, no seat height adjustment. At first I thought it’s going to be hell for me to find perfect seat position… In fact, I was ready to visit my masseur on monthly basis… But I was wrong dead period. The seat is already raised and the steering wheel already extended nicely towards the driver. During my time driving, I can slide my seat back and forth without compromising too much of my comfort, especially during all seat occupied scenario and some tall guy seats behind me (the driver). So yeah, love the seat even though I can’t tell for every person out thfere since the seat perfect for me but maybe not for the fickle who wanted to get a low driving position.

The Freed has a commanding view of the road thanks to its raised seat position, as such, view of the road is great and the slanted angle front windshield makes turning view less obstructed than a car with high angle a-pillar *cough*SX-4*cough*. 3258 Kilometers later, my love for the driving position is reminded over and over again every time I drive this car. The a-pillar angle is very slanted thus view angle through the a-pillar is satisfying as the port windshield is large enough while the thickness of the frame is acceptable. Rear view is acceptable as the rear window frame is quite thick, but changing lane is still good since you can take a look through the rear passenger window which is quite big.

Driving the car, I don’t feel that the Freed is big and lumbering, in fact I found it a little bit nimble, too nimble even. The steering ratio is a bit low making the steer a tad light, so any movement is translated in gusto to wheel movement, making the car easy to maneuver in tight spot and making less than buff driver able to steer the car effortlessly.

Power came from a revised 1.5L i-VTEC engine from the famous L-series that powers the millions of Honda Jazz/Fit around the world (2 millions since last counted by Honda in 2007) which now powers the second generation Jazz/Fit and the new City. The car has a high strung characteristic as it achieves its maximum power of 118ps at 6600 RPM, something that is not liked for the majority of family hauler buyers. In my daily drives, I indeed need to wind the engine up to about 4000 RPM to get significant push when trying to overtake on highway or city driving. But this is the characteristic of the engine; Honda engines needs to be pushed to its limit because it can, and because it likes it (naughty wink). Coupled that with eager to downshift automatic gearbox, I generally do not have any problem with how the engine delivers it powers.

One thing to note about the gearbox is that although it has 5 gears, when the gear downshifts it only selects one gear down from the highest selected gear. So when you’re on the 5th gear and hit the pedal, you’ll get 4th gear and slight hum from the engine, quite annoying on high speed. If you still want to force the gearbox to shift two gears down, you need to press on the gas pedal for about 3 seconds or so. You will feel the gearbox selects lower gear by the higher RPMs and then it will selects yet a lower gear when you wait enough. So for whatever reason you need to go fast and furious, you want to press the D3 button (at whatever speed) and hit the gas from there to downshift. Still, Honda designs this car for efficiency so driving fast and furious is out of the question.

Talking about efficiency, the Freed has plenty of it. The significant contributor for Freed’s efficiency is definitely its 5 speed automatic gearbox. The fifth gear on the car allows for a second overdrive gear which allows the wheels spun much faster than the engine, increasing its efficiency… It’s funny when people still thinks that overdrive is some kind of a term to make the car goes faster.

How efficient the car can go? Driving alone I once hit 21.9 Kilometers per liter or 51.5 MPG (US) on highway at average speed of 60 Kilometers per hour… Well, I might violate the minimum speed which is 70 KpH, and I employ slight hypermiling techniques (tip toeing and coasting, a/c on though) but I get 21.9 KpL, so shove it government, you and your crazy tax for hybrids. Still, it’’s a bit cheating, and generally I get about 15-16 KpL or 35 MPG (US) on the highway with speeds ranging from 90 KpH to 100 KpH, with about 4 adults cut that by half a Kilometer per Liter.  Still a respectable number.

On inner city traffic… Well, it’s a different story… My trips around the city involves mad traffic, and when I say mad, I mean 50% of the time I’m on the road, the car doesn’t move and average speed is about 20 KpH. So at best, I can only managed 8.5 KpL or 19.9 MPG (US) for inner city driving. I can push it up a notch or two to 8.7 KpL or 9.0 KpL by turning off the A/C, but in this weather… You’ll smell funny before you hit 9.0 KpL. Off course there’s the occasional sane traffic where I can get up to 11-12 KpL average, but it’s few and far between the crazy traffic, and that number was achieved averaging the time I got stuck in crazy traffic, could get better but it’s not the norm.

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Coming up next, comfort and utility write up

Honda Lakukan Program Penggantian Komponen Freed, Jazz dan City Indonesia

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Resmi pada tanggal 18 Februari 2011, Honda Indonesia melakukan program penggantian komponen atau recall untuk tiga model favoritnya: Freed, Jazz dan City. Terdapat masalah dengan komponen pegas mekanisme mesin yang dapat menyebabkan mesin mogok pada kondisi ekstrim. Hal ini selaras dengan program penggantian komponen global yang memengaruhi mesin Honda Freed, Jazz dan City.

Menurut situs Honda-Indonesia.com, Honda Freed, City dan Jazz yang termasuk dalam program penarikan ini tidak semua yang terjual di Indonesia, hanya 30.252 unit saja dengan waktu produksi tertentu. Berikut adalah daftar rangka mobil yang terkena program ini:

Tanda “~” menandakan “sampai dengan”.

City (3,360 unit)
Produksi Okt 2008 – Jan 2010
MRHGM2***8P920003 ~ 920212
MRHGM2***9P920123 ~ 921323
MRHGM2***AP020001 ~ 020120

Jazz
(16,300 unit)
Produksi Jun 2008 – Mar 2010
MHRGE8***8J900003 ~ 903906
MHRGE8***9J900001 ~ 903341
MHRGE8***AJ000001 ~ 000540
MHRGE8***AJ900001 ~ 900198

Freed
(10,592 unit)
Produksi May 2009 – Feb 2010
MHRGB3***9J000006 ~ 007186
MHRGB3***AJ000001 ~ 001229

Silahkan cek masing – masing STNK dan melihat nomor rangka/NIK/VIN, apakah mobil Anda termasuk dalam daftar yang masuk dalam program penggantian komponen Freed, Jazz dan City.

Sebagai contoh, Freed saya memiliki nomor rangka MHRGB3***AJ102*** (dibeli pada bulan November 2011), karena Freed dengan nomor rangka AJ000001 sampai dengan 001229, maka mobil saya tidak masuk dalam program penggantian komponen ini karena sudah lewat dari AJ001229.

Untuk lebih jelasnya dapat langsung menuju pranala/link sumber yang tersedia dibawah ini.

Sumber:

Informasi resmi program penggantian komponen Honda-Indonesia.com

Honda Fit/Jazz Hybrid Official Pictures And Some Facts (plus estimated price)

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The MOST anticipated entry level hybrid from Honda is coming in hot and Autocar jumped the gun on the media embargo and present the Jazz Hybrid to be unveiled at Paris Motor Show next month. Please visit Autocar website for better resolution pictures of the car here. You can also check at your other favorite auto blogs or online automotive news about the Jazz hybrid.

As you can see, the difference is merely cosmetics, different grill, bumper and blue shaded headlights differentiating the regular and the hybrid Fit. The rear also receives similar cosmetic changes with clear taillights, accented bumper and chrome accented trunk garnish.

Without the hybrid plaque on the rear, you will surely miss this hybrid on the road… Which is good, because you don’t want to attract attention to criminals whose MO is to puncture your tire with a hollow nail and rob you silly (because you don’t have spare tire).

It has been confirmed that the Fit/Jazz hybrid will be sporting the same engine used on the Insight 2.0, a 1.3L i-VTEC with IMA producing around 100ps. Interior pictures are still kept secret from Honda, but words are circulating that the Fit/Jazz Hybrid will have single color dashboard and blue lit dials. You can check out my entry about Honda Insight engine here, but for peace of mind sake, I’ll divulge a bit about the heart of Honda hybrid system.

Honda hybrid system or Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) is a simple system where an electric motor is sandwiched between the internal combustion motor and the driving wheel, in Honda case it’s always the front wheel to date. Back when it was introduced with the 2000 Honda Insight, the IMA doesn’t have the ability to purely run on electric motor. However, when the Insight 2.0 launched early last year, the IMA system was updated to purely run on electric motor albeit with a very strict condition… Steady cruise speed without any inclination… Any degree of inclination, then the motor kicks in again. Still good anyway.

A cut out of Honda IMA system, notice how the engine’s width is very narrow

Honda called its hybrid system IMA for a good reason, it simply “assists” the internal combustion engine at low speed and when the car is accelerating fast. A good thing because the nature of electric motor to produce maximum torque at just 1000 RPM means the engine doesn’t have to burn unnecessary excessive fuel to launch the car at stop and go driving. The IMA also acts as a starter motor because the whole engine has the ability to be turned off at idle (traffic lights) automatically and restarts at the press of the gas pedal.

To produce electricity, the IMA system itself is a cylindrical generator system that spins with the internal combustion engine. At steady speed, the IMA recharge the battery and when there’s a forward movement usually caused by braking the IMA also captures this momentum to spin the generator the opposite way and producing electricity.

A complete Honda IMA engine + transmission, the IMA system is marked yellow at the bottom picture

Something to note is that Honda engineers can’t magically insert an IMA system to an existing engine *snap* like that. The IMA takes considerable space inside the engine bay, therefore something got to give and it’s usually the engine that gets the shorter end of the straw. Honda hybrid system uses a specifically designed narrow engine to allow the placement of the IMA system next to the gearbox.

Now for the million Pesos/Ringgit/Sing Dollar/Rupiah/Baht/Dong question for us Asia Pacific residents… Will we get it? We don’t get the Insight, the CR-Z and the Civic Hybrid costs an arm and a leg. Are we getting the cream again instead of a bite of the cake? Not quite! We’ve seen the almost miraculous Honda Freed launched in the Asia Pacific, exclusive even outside of Japan… And why? Because the Freed is produced in the Asia Pacific region to gain advantage of AFTA. The Fit/Jazz has been produced in Indonesia for quite sometime, so you see where I’m going, it’s too easy for Honda to just import the hybrid engine and assembled it in Indonesia and imports it to other country in ASEAN. If this is inline with Honda global plan to be the leading automaker of hybrids (it’s in the CEO midyear speech which I’m going to cover soon), then, we will see a near simultaneous release of the Fit hybrid all over the world; Europe, America, Australia and Asia.

So when? The Fit hybrid in Europe will be announced at the Paris Motor Show next month and launched early 2011, in the United States it’s still unconfirmed but it will be there around 2011 as 2012 model, nope, it’s totally unconfirmed. The United States might even missed the hybrid Fit/Jazz totally… A bit of a “huh” moment, because the Europeans will get it although they already has the Insight 2.0 just like the Americans. On the other side of the world, Japan’s Nikkei confirmed that the Fit hybrid will be launched around Fall in Japan. Using Freed’s launch time frame, then it’s just a matter of 1 to 1.5 years before us ASEANs can drive a genuine affordable hybrid courtesy of Honda. So expect the Fit/Jazz hybrid to announced at the end of 2011 and available at the latest early 2012 in ASEAN.

How much? Now this is the interesting part… Because of difference in currency and taxes, I’m just going to use Indonesia expected price and price estimate slot, which will be universal. Honda Jazz RS in Indonesia is priced at Rp. 222 Million (2 Million Yen) while the Japanese Fit RS is priced at 1.69 Million Yen, specs are the same except we use 5AT instead of CVT, price difference between both automatic transmission should be negligible. The Freed in Indonesia is priced at Rp. 258 Million (2.4 Million Yen) while the same Freed is priced at 1.99 Million Yen in Japan, again specs are the same (digital AC control & power retractable mirror just recently added), except for the use of 5AT instead of CVT and the lack of HID.

Let’s do a simple math, now both the Fit/Jazz RS and the Freed in Indonesia reflects a 18 & 20% mark up in price compared with its Japanese brothers, let’s take 20% as our baseline number. Now let’s take Nikkei’s reported Fit hybrid price which starts at  a cool 1.59 Million Yen, in Indonesia, the Jazz hybrid will be priced starting at Rp. 202 Million… Now I suspect that it will be a manual version, so add the usual 10-14 Million for an automatic version, and voila! The estimated Honda Jazz hybrid automatic will be offered in Indonesia for around Rp. 216 Million (roughly US$22K), hell! Round that up to Rp. 220 Million and people will still buy it! Now let’s say Honda decided to go greedy or wanted to add the RS trim to the Jazz hybrid. In Indonesia, the Jazz RS commands Rp. 13 Million more than the baseline Jazz, so added to the baseline Jazz hybrid, the Jazz hybrid RS will still worth Rp. 229 Million… And that my friends are something totally purchasable.

If, and this is just another silly if from me… If Honda wanted to play “screw you all, this is the first commercially affordable hybrid in ASEAN, I’m putting price premium to you suckers!”, the Jazz hybrid will still be below Freed’s price  or at the very least, the same. Still, I’m buying one if I don’t have any car by that time. The Jazz hybrid reported fuel consumption is 26 Km/L or 61 MPG (US), but I suspect it’s just highway number. For inner city driving, I expect that number to drop to half at 13 Km/L or 30,5 MPG (US)… Again, that number is already phenomenal, my 1.5L SX4 automatic only manages an average of 8,4 Km/L or 19,7 MPG (US) for pure inner city driving.

Personally, I’m betting that the Jazz hybrid price range will be around Rp. 220 Million to Rp. 230 Million. It will be priced at Jazz RS level, and complement each other. One you pay premium for exhilarating drive and the other if you are down with the earth and stuff. Tax wise, the car wouldn’t be a luxury import because it is based on an existing car… So if there’s any different tax imposed, I’m really speechless.

Update: 26 August 2010 – more info from other online media

Source:

Autocar.co.uk: Honda launches new Jazz hybrid

The car connection: Honda Jazz hybrid will start a price war

Electric vehicles: Forward to the past

Honda Insight is Hout!

EGMcarTech: Jazz Hybrid Unveiled, No US Plans

Honda Fit/Jazz Hybrid Will Get Insane Mileage

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Hot off the oven, real life be damn, this is one news too awesome to skip (as awesome as the Expendables movie cast announcement). Temple of VTEC forum member Kiwi VTEC just post this great awesome news from GoAuto.com about a semi official word from Honda of Australia official on Fit/Jazz hybrid mileage… And hoo boy, that car got mileage.

According to Honda Australia spokesman Mark Higgins, the Fit/Jazz hybrid will net 26 Kilometer per Liter of fuel or 61 MPG (US) estimated using Japan’s new stricter government measurement standard. If anything the figure would be a highway figure rather than inner city (hell) driving. Still, with hybrid charge cycle/stop go characteristic, inner city driving would net better mileage than regular internal combustion engine anytime.

Another amazing point (two to be exact) is the weight and type of battery used in the next Fit/Jazz hybrid. The car is going to weigh in at 1100 KG and it will use a Nickel Hydrogen battery. Nothing so special if you think about it for a second right? Well think about it for a minute, and bing/google current generation Fit/Jazz weight and what is Nickel Hydrogen and you’ll see it’s very special.

Current Fit/Jazz weighs in at 1100 KG (FIT RS, CVT, Japan domestic market) and the next Fit/Jazz hybrid weighs in about the same. It’s special because hybrid cars has two extra component on top of regular cars and it’s the battery and electric motor. The battery alone take considerable space, that’s why most hybrids doesn’t have spare tire, and the electric motor puts extra weight on the engine bay. So it’s quite amazing that Honda can match the old Fit/Jazz weight with the extra gizmos on the new Fit/Jazz hybrid. Then, there’s the battery.

Toyota and GM with its Prius and Chevrolet Volt will usher in the new generation of hybrid and electric car using Lithium Ion battery. Said to be smaller yet has the capacity to hold more charge than the outgoing Nickel Metal Hydride battery used in many hybrids nowadays. Now, Australia Honda spokesman hinted that Honda is still using a Nickel based battery, but a Nickel based battery that is currently used in outer space.

I won’t try to act that I know about Nickel Hydrogen, so let me shamelessly quote a short article about it from hydrogencarsnow.com which offers the simplest explanation about the battery.

According to the Florida State University website, “The nickel-hydrogen battery has a nickel oxide positive electrode similar to the nickel-cadmium cell, and is like the hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell since it has a hydrogen negative electrode. This hybrid battery has a long cycle life, high specific energy, high power density, and also exhibits tolerance for overcharge, and is therefore the choice battery in many aerospace applications, especially geo-synchronous (GEO) and low earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. In addition, the battery’s hydrogen pressure is a good indicator of the charge state of the battery.” The nickel-hydrogen battery from the FSU website is pictured above.

So in a way, this Nickel Hydrogen battery is essentially a hydrogen cell packed inside a battery, that’s why it’s called a hybrid battery… And what do you know? Honda will use a SPACE AGE technology battery that is a HYBRID by itself for its hybrid car… (sorry, couldn’t resist).

There’s no real life comparison  between Nickel Hydrogen and Lithium Ion in term of effectiveness, power holding capability and shelf life. But think about it this way, Nickel Hydrogen battery is the battery of choice for satellites, something that’s when launched is usually left for its own for years even decades. So each components must be redundant enough to withstand environmental hazard like the extreme cold or the extreme heat of outer space.

Well, this news could be a hoax after all. I never imagined that this groundbreaking news would be told first by Honda Australia official. But if it’s real… Honda will have its factory workers works double time over the Fit/Jazz hybrid lifetime, especially if the persistent rumor that the company will bet everything in hybrids and making it go mainstream came true. Sub 200 Million Rupiah /US$20K hybrid in Indonesia? Hell YEAH!

Source:

GoAuto.com: Honda Jazz Hybrid More Efficient Than Prius

Hydrogencarsnow.com Nickel Hydrogen battery explained

Press Release Honda Prospect Motor (Honda Indonesia) Mengenai Recall Honda Jazz/City

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Kisruh recall Honda City di Indonesia sepertinya juga berdengung di telinga petinggi Honda Indonesia yang akhirnya mengeluarkan pernyataan resmi mengenai penarikan Honda City.

Silahkan download/unduh file PDF resmi mengenai penarikan Honda City di

Rapidshare dengan semena-mena menghapus file press release Honda mengenai statement recall power switch. Mohon maaf kepada pembaca yang sudah menelusuri pranala yang pernah saya cantumkan di website ini karena file aslinya sudah hilang sewaktu migrasi data ke komputer baru.

Kalimat-kalimat yang perlu dicermati adalah sebagai berikut:

<DAMPAK DI INDONESIA>
TIDAK ADA. Jazz yang diproduksi di Indonesia menggunakan komponen power window master switch yang diproduksi oleh Toyo Denso, yang memiliki desain yang berbeda dengan produksi OMRON. Sesuai dengan penjelasan di atas, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. dan PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) MEMASTIKAN bahwa tidak ada satu pun produk Honda Jazz di Indonesia yang terkena program recall. Selain Indonesia, beberapa negara seperti Jepang, Thailand dan
Australia juga dipastikan tidak melakukan recall untuk produk Honda Jazz di negaranya.

<PENYEBAB>Komponen Power Window Master Switch terkena air dalam jumlah yang banyak dan waktu yang lama. Hal ini memungkinkan terjadi hubungan listrik arus pendek.

Untuk pelaksanaan program ini, Jonfis Fandy Marketing & Aftersales Service Director PT HPM menjelaskan, “Konsumen yang mobilnya teridentifikasi tidak perlu kuatir dan dapat tetap menggunakan mobilnya seperti biasa. Mulai tanggal 1 Maret 2010 sampai dengan 30 September 2010, para pelanggan dapat datang ke bengkel resmi Honda atau kami hubungi untuk melakukan perbaikan secara cuma-cuma dengan menunjukkan bukti kepemilikan kendaraan yang sah.”

Jadi, meskipun fenomena recall Honda Fit/Jazz terjadi di luar negeri, hanya Honda City rakitan Thailand di Indonesia saja yang ditarik untuk diganti switch power windownya.

Sekadar catatan samping saja, menurut saya yang perlu diperhatikan disini juga adalah faktor kelalaian dari manusianya (human error). Hasil penelitian dari pihak Honda menunjukkan bila korsleting terjadi dalam jangka panjang, dan karena terkena air dengan debit yang tinggi. Hal ini cukup logis karena komponen listrik tidak dapat dibuat kedap air karena bagaimanapun juga alat tersebut harus dapat dibuka untuk diperbaiki, alhasil sudah pasti ada sela dimana cairan dapat masuk kedalamnya.

Adapun kutipan dari Bapak Andreas Boediman selaku ketua umum Honda Automotive Club Indonesia menyatakan bahwa kasus korsleting yang terjadi di Irlandia terjadi karena sang pengendara menumpahkan segelas minuman soda ke master switch power window dan di Amerika, kaca kendaraan di buka dan pada saat itu terjadi hujan dan mengakibatkan air masuk kedalam master switch power window.
Terlihat jelas bila ada juga faktor kesalahan manusia terlibat disini. Menurut saya, pihak Honda sudah mengambil langkah yang sangat baik menawarkan untuk mengganti master switch power window dengan cuma-cuma dan menunjukkan bahwa Honda Prospect Motor adalah perusahaan yang perduli dengan pelanggannya.
Singkat kata, tidak ada recall Honda Jazz di Indonesia selain 3240 Honda City.

Honda Small Car Concept Debut: Not Bad At All

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When Honda released a statement late last year about wanting in on the small cheap car parade, I was afraid… Wait? Afraid? No! I’m PETRIFIED.

When Tata unveils the Nano at its expected price of US$2500, the car was damn awful. 660cc simplistic engine, fixed hatch, engine in the cabin, the non existence of brake booster, no AC, no everything! Money doesn’t lie, you pay for a peanut, you get a peanut. Honda even declared that they are not getting into the small cheap car parade. But late last year, they did the unthinkable and announced Honda is getting into the parade after all, following Toyota and Ford. I thought that Honda has lost it mentally… But it seems that I have to take it all back as Honda foray in the small cheap car parade are anything but cheap…

A compact compact

Dubbed the Small Concept Vehicle, as reported by Autoblog.com, the car will be ready for emerging market in 2011. The car will be available initially in India and Thailand first, but I suspect it will be available for the rest of ASEAN as well, especially Indonesia & Malaysia.

The car take heavy design cue from CR-Z, CR-V, and Freed. The A pillar is definitely CR-Z, with the distinct bonnet over the pillar. The side profile is taken straight from CR-V coupe like silhouette. The rear hatch and the side crease is taken from the Freed, which makes the car looks like a short Freed from the quarter rear view.

Coupe like design, but it’s a four door

Not much is given technically, but the car is going to be powered with an extensive line of engines, topping at 1.2L. Obviously Honda has the 660cc option from its Keii car line, and the 1.3L engine from the new L series. But what about the 1.2L?

What gives me a sigh of relief is that the car is priced around 500k Rupee or about US$10K. Compare that to Tata Nano base price of US$2500, and you’ll understand why Honda still kept its promise not going in with the small and cheap parade. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud Tata intention of making the Nano accessible to every layer of society, a car for every family. However, making it cheap enough by leaving out safety is a big no no. Leaving out the brake booster? Come on… This is not a bike, this is a car. Braking a 3 KG bike is different than braking a 500 KG car. Okay, I didn’t know the Nano weight, but even if the car only weighs 200 KG, it’s still a hundred times heavier than a bike.

The rear door handle is flushed with the body panel

At around US$10K, Honda Small Concept will definitely include better safety equipment than the Nano. Given that in Indonesia the Fit/Jazz comes in at US$19K, the new Small Concept will fit right in below it. After tax and miscellaneous, the Small Concept could be priced at US$12-14K in Indonesia, and that’s still considered cheap.

This car and a Freed would make a killer combo of small runabout for the office and compact hauler for the family.

Source:

Autoblog: Honda new concept unveiled at New Delhi show

Autonews: Honda Small Concept will be priced below US$11K

Honda Tokyo Motor Show Summary: All Hail Electric Cars!

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Honda just announced an overview of their display on the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, and what an overview it is. Like any all Japanese automaker in the show, hybrid and electric cars are making a strong showing… Too strong for my taste actually, but thank goodness Honda have some traditional gas burning ass kicking cars in the show as well.

Honda does bring out a slew of motorbikes, but for this entry I’m just going to cover the four wheel aspect of Honda TMS booth (I’m already ditching my lunch break to write this)… So why I’m writing a news that’s been reported to death by any online news media? Because I put in my usual witty comments and explanatory behind the news, so enjoy!

Strong Hybrid Front

Leading the charge on the hybrid front is the long waited CR-Z. Finally Honda unveils in the flesh, a near production ready CR-Z to the masses. It looks very much like the concept, albeit with toned down styling. Still though, it’s a striking model for a hybrid.

Here I am baby!

Honda dubs the car as the “fun hybrid” (actually, it’s me who dubbed it). It supposedly brings Honda “fun to drive” trait, offering driving responsiveness of a sport car to a hybrid… Honda 2007 showing of CR-Z mentions about the meaning of the term CR-Z… Compact Renaissance Zero… So is this car going to revolutionize the compact scene? It’s hard to imagine how. Honda explicitly mentions light weight on the car’s press release back in 2007, something that can be attributed to good power to weight ratio. However, with Honda most powerful compact hybrid engine producing only 115ps (Civic Hybrid)… It’s… Hard to say… Let’s just wait for its drivetrain info. Interior wise, it’s as ready as waiting the sun at 4 in the morning. You know it’s coming soon, and you know how bright the sun would be a couple hours down the road… For pictures of the interior, click the Temple of VTEC link down below.

Hot on the heels of hybrid cars, Honda unveils a 6 seater hybrid concept. Dubbed the Skydeck, the CR-Z front end look alikeness is uncanny, indicating that the car will share the same platform. Still a concept though, this car brings sensibility and load factor to a hybrid. The car features scissor front doors and below the chassis sliding door mechanism, but it will definitely be gone if the Skydeck hits the production. But seriously… Honda will definitely made this.

Call me CR-L for Long

On the electric side of anything four wheel, Honda isn’t making any ground breaking car like Nissan Leaf. Instead, Honda is bringing back the original 1986 Honda City concept, complete with a mini runabout like the legendary Motocompo. Dubbed the EV-N, this is Honda second full electric car after the EV+ that went on special lease in the United State back in 1997. The EV-N is a two door electric car that takes retro design cue to the extreme…. Extremely extreme. Now wait… Before you guys said “The car looks like an old Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper crashed together and the guy in the repair shop use too much sanding” The car is actually a homage to Honda very first compact back in the late 60’s, the N360. You can see its distinctive raised headlights and the boxy design. The original mini is more roundish than the N360.

Seriously, I want to bite this car, it’s just too cute

From the look of it, the EV-N is a Keii car with dimension similar to Toyota IQ. The rear seat seems useless for an adult, and when the front seat slides backward, there’s no legroom for the rear seats (just like the IQ). EV-N electric theme goes up to its roof where Honda installed a solar panel… I wonder if the panels is usable if at all…


Hello grandpa: The original Honda N360

The coolest thing of all is the addition of U3-X on the EV-N. Like the 1986 Honda City, the EV-N has a “mini bike” stowed on its left passenger door. Honda City own Motocompo was already a marvel in engineering, and the U3-X tops the Motocompo and bring the term mini bike to the next level. The U3-X, unveiled before Tokyo Motor Show (which I didn’t have time to write on the blog) was a marvel of engineering. Imagine segway, and now imagine a unicycle… Now what if Segway made love to a unicycle and had an offspring? You got the U3-X.

U3-X snug comfortably on the door

Like the segway, you tilt your body to move, whether it’s forward, backward, sideways… Whaaa? Sideways? Yes, sideways. Albeit it looks like the U3-X has only one wheel, it actually comprises of small diameter wheels making up a bigger wheel. When the person shifts their weight sideways, the small wheels turns towards that direction. When the person shifts their weight forward or backward, the small wheel stops and rolls around its bigger wheel. When the person wants to make a turn, all the wheels turn… All thanks to Asimo. Weird eh, how a bipedal robot contributes to a self balancing unicycle… Psych! That’s that… Asimo self balancing gyro technology is installed on the U3-X (and you call yourself a gadget website).

The U3-X and EV-N are both a comeback from 1986 Honda City. The concept is that you park your car in a public parking building and use the compact bike stowed in the car to reach your final destination.

Civic Euro Returns Home

On the fuel burning front, Honda brings back FN2 Civic Euro hatch back home to Japan, and not to mess around with Civic heritage, it’s bringing the Civic Euro Type R. It’s going to be a pretty interesting battle between the type Rs… The FN2 Euro Civic was built using the Fit/Jazz platform, meaning pedestrian level suspension (McPherson strut & torsion beam) and hangar size cabin. Suspension wise, the Euro Civic is no match for the FD2 Civic. Power wise… It’s going to be an embarrassment as the Euro Civic Type R only produces 201ps while the FD2 Civic produces 225ps at full throttle.

Still though, the FN2 Euro Civic was built not with performance in mind. It’s bringing sensibility into a performance oriented car. The Fit/Jazz platform means ULTRA seat, the amazing fold up/down mechanism of the rear passenger seating. Loading a tall or wide objects are a cinch for the Civic Euro. The engine is also tuned to deliver better midrange, rather than the high strung spine tingling limit of the FD Civic… Me? I’m choosing Euro Civic Type R…

Then we have the StepWGN… and no, there’s no vowel there after the “e”. StepWGN is Honda mid-high model of people mover above Freed and below the Elysion. It’s size rivals the Elysion, but with more utilitarian design and features. The model shown on the show will be the third generation of StepWGN ever since the car introduction in 1996. The car has gone a loooong way from its initial “commercial van” history. Well, it’s not a commercial van per se, but it looks like one, tall, dinky, and had an overly long rear overhang, the design looks forced… Maksa deh…

Looks a lot like Nissan Serena

StepWGN came with flat floor running from front to back, and the first car (ever I think) to have wood panel as a floor… Wood panel for God sakes! And a funky sunroof that runs the spine of the car’s roof from front to back (optional off course). The car truly is a fresh take on an MPV. However, the usual Honda move, the third generation StepWGN brings something better.

The third generation design though was a shocker to many. The second generation StepWGN was applauded for not looking like any MPV on Japanese road with its angular design which translated well to Honda Freed. The new StepWGN now look indistinguishable compared to Nissan Serena and/or Toyota Voxy/Noah. The boxy design is simplistic in nature like canned corned beef. It looks the same from the outside, it’s not until you brace yourself for change and try the new brand on the next shelf… Sigh… Still though, expect some surprises on the car.

There’s a third row seat there, can you find it?

The first pictures of the car show a disappearing third row seat… Completely inside the floor… It might be an old technique as USDM Honda Odyssey has it for ages, but it’s a good thing to implement on the StepWGN. The second picture that grabs my attention is the size of the car. The car length grew from 4640mm to 4690mm, a healthy 50mm. But what’s a 50mm increase right? Well… The interior space of the car grew to 3095mm from a measly 2775mm that’s 320mm increase in interior length, and that’s crazy… That’s Honda. If you find seating comfortably on the second generation StepWGN, this new third generation will make you feel like seating inside a house… Well, a small house… Okay, a studio apartment, don’t be so antsy…

So that’s that on the four wheel side. Honda also introduce a new bike, the CB1100, a retro take to the CB line. An electric scooter under the legendary Cub name, some power products and Honda walk assistant.

Source:

Honda global: Tokyo Motor Show Report

Temple of VTEC: Honda Overview Photos

CR-Z & Fit Hybrid Confirmed Next Year

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Argh, how can I miss this one… It’s official, Honda revival of the CR-X and Insight 1.0 is heading our way *at least in Japan* in February 2010. The CR-Z which was announced late 2007 will be available to Japanese market early next year, claiming “sporty Hybrid” as its tagline. The Fit will also receives a Hybrid trim line, and completes Honda hybrid offering as one of the entry level hybrid model. The Fit hybrid still have no definitive release date, but expect it to be launched by the end of 2010.

Bigger hybrids are in plan, but it’s still up in the air where the engine will head to. Well, considering Honda cancels implementing Diesel engine to their premium Acura line, it’s a safe bet that the bigger hybrids will be found inside Acura’s engine bays in the near future.

On related news, the Insight is fairing very well in Japan. The car manage to get number 3 most selling car for the month of May just behind Honda venerable favorites, the Fit. Despite the overall decrease in automobile demand in Japan, most small and efficient cars still fares the best.

Source:

Honda confirms two more hybrids for next year

Insight and Fit leads Honda domestic sales

CR-Z design sheet