Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers

The accusation is a strong one: Honda Motor Co. is suppressing its own alternative fuel vehicles and refusing to allow Americans access to the new fuel technology.

Critics point to Honda’s desire to sell more SUVs like the Honda Pilot, noting that the car company isn’t allowing many of its greenest vehicles a spot in the North American line-up. Case in point: the Honda GX. With Honda dubbing the GX one of the greenest vehicles on the planet, it turns out that they won’t even sell a sample model to Spokane Community College for observation. The College has been trying to buy one for over a year now.

The GX uses a complex home refuelling system called the Phill to supply its alternative fuel, creating a product that owners can be entirely self-reliant on and ending days at the gas stations and nights at the loans outlet. The GX doesn’t consume oil, either, making it a wonderfully green product for those looking for a better way to save the planet.

But Honda seems to have no interest in bringing it to America any time soon. And any models that are designated for the United States market seem a little less than special. Some complain about the potential audio system, noting that it is a few steps behind even the lowest Civic audio system. So is Honda intentionally deterring American drivers from experiencing the GX?

We may never know for sure. For the time being, however, drop on by your local Honda dealer for more information. Don’t forget to pester them for news about the GX while you’re there.

Hyundai’s i800 MPV has landed a pretty significant award in the United Kingdom, snagging the Towcar of the Year award from the Caravan Club.

Hyundai’s vehicle was just launched, so to have won an award already is a pretty significant prize for the car company. Hyundai’s profile continues to rise internationally and scooping such an award in the U.K. is a treat for the company.

The i800 MPV uses a strong diesel engine and rear-wheel drive in combination to provide excellent towing capacity to its drivers. It has one of the top load-carrying capabilities in its class, enabling drivers to fully experience the utility of a vehicle that can help provide comfort and usability on camping trips or on “working vacations.”

A series of tests was done to help discern the vehicle’s ultimate towing power and overall capabilities in order to give the award. Hill-start performance, braking, and acceleration were all put to the test and passed with flying colours.

Upon presenting the award, the Caravan Club commented; “The i800 is a cracking load carrier, shows a lovely attitude when hitched and good access to towing sockets. Hyundai enters the market for big people carriers with a much cheaper alternative to vehicles such as the VW Caravelle and Renault Espace”.

For more information about the i800 and to discover if it is for sale in your region, drop by your local Hyundai dealer today.

Workers at Hyundai Motor Co. accepted a wage deal today that will end months of negotiation that saw several periods of work stoppage and strikes by the employees of South Korea’s automaker.

The approved wage plan calls for a 5.61 percent rise in base salary, a one-off payment of 4 million won ($3,456) and a 2008 bonus of 300 percent of monthly salary for each employee. The deal couldn’t have come a moment too soon, as the work stoppages and negotiation periods had resulted in several lost working hours for the company and a significant dip in overall productivity.

The union reported on its Web site that 54.5 percent of the members who participated in a vote had approved this year’s contract. Of 45,089 union members, 94.7 of them percent voted on the new contracts.

Hyundai employees had vetoed a previous agreement that promised the same salary but only offered 3 million won in one-off payments. The company and the union also agreed to take a reduction of total working hours to 17 hours a day from 20 hours from 2009, but to keep production volumes steady and consistent.

Now that the company is able to move forward again with its full work force under the new contract, Hyundai dealer outlets should spring to life again with the results of the hard-working employees of one of the biggest and finest automobile companies in the world.

With trouble obviously afoot in the North American economy, it may seem like a bit of a risk for Honda to open up a brand new plant in Canada. But that’s just what the company did and politicians in the Canadian province of Ontario couldn’t be happier about it.

The new engine plant, opened by Honda of Canada Manufacturing, is aiming at turning out 800 engines a day in bottom line production. The engines will be used in the production of the Honda Civic, which takes place at a plant in Alliston.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and other political dignitaries were on hand for the plant’s opening on Thursday. Japan’s ambassador to Canada Tsuneo Nishida and Honda Canada president and CEO Manabu Nishimae were also on hand.

McGuinty echoed many sentiments in the industry at the opening. “(Honda) has found a way to get ahead, and stay ahead of the curve,” he said. “They’ve understood that people are getting more and more environmentally friendly.” The Ontario Premier applauded Honda’s ability to offer environmentally-friendly vehicles that still appealed to consumers.

Honda is saying that the plant is among one of the most advanced on the planet, offering technological advances that few others have. The plant is also environmentally-friendly, of course, and will offer great top-end production at little environmental cost to the region.

For more information on why Honda remains successful in a crumbling economy in North America, visit your local Honda dealer today.

The Hyundai brand continues to experience popularity around the world as the brand rose nine full percentage points in the 2008 Top 100 Global Brands study jointly conducted by Interbrand, a leading consulting firm, and BusinessWeek.

Hyundai’s value in the study rose to $4.8 billion.

Since debuting in 2005 on the annual Best Global Brands list, Hyundai has registered steady and consistent annual growth in its brand value. In the latest study, Hyundai ranked eighth among global automakers, ahead of several prominent brands including Porsche, Lexus and Nissan. By region, Hyundai saw its largest gains in brand value in India, Korea and in emerging markets like Russia and Brazil.

Many are claiming that Hyundai’s international appeal continues to climb because the car company remains perceptive to the needs of the consumer and because the company continues to update its models to create a more modern, stylish look.

Regardless of what the specifics might be, it turns out that most car companies have a lot to learn from the Korean automaker. Few are enjoying the global popularity of Hyundai at this tough time in the industry. Hyundai’s continued attention to detail and desire for growth has helped push them near the top of most global surveys and polls, making them a popular and recognizable brand among people of all ages and cultures.

For more information on the Hyundai brand and to see why it is among the most popular automakers in the world, drop by your local Hyundai dealer today.

Honda’s Musical Road, located in Lancaster, California, is an interesting experience for Honda Civic drivers. Normally when drivers discuss their car’s audio, they talk about their speakers and their stereo equipment. The tires of the vehicle simply don’t come into the discussion, and for good reason.

But with Honda’s Musical Road, the tires are as much a part of the quality of sound as any other part of the vehicle. That’s because Honda’s Musical Road used the actual construction of the road to impact sound as a part of a major advertisement campaign for the Civic.

Grooves were cut in the road that impacted the tires of the vehicle. When the car drove over the grooves at a certain speed, the tires would vibrate and play music. Yes, you read that right: the tires would vibrate and play music.

The road was constructed and augmented to fit the wheelbase of the Honda Civic and should cause Civics driving over the road space to be “treated” to a rather weird rendition of the William Tell Overture. The onlyproblem was that nearby residents grew so sick and tired of that blasted “Lone Ranger Theme” that they wanted the road paved over. And so, as is often the case with strange gimmicks, the road will be paved over soon and Honda’s Musical Road will have come to an end.

For more information about musical (or non-musical) components pertaining to the Civic, drop by your local Honda dealer today.

Honda Motor Company and Nissan led gains on the Tokyo stock exchange after U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson proposed a $700 billion plan to buy mortgage securities in a bailout of the financial system.

It was Nissan that climbed the highest after the announcement, but Honda wasn’t far behind with some significant gains of its own. Honda added 5.1% to its 3,500 yen. In fact, all of Japan’s auto-related companies were the biggest contributors to a 1.7% gain in the Topix index of all shares on the exchange’s first section.

Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are Japan’s biggest automakers, so gains in their sector certainly represent good news for all of Japan’s industry. The news of the U.S. buyout impacted their markets because of the potential for rise in consumer confidence and in easing the facility to lend by the banks. With more cash flow, the hopeful result is one of more customers and more business for Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.

According to Bloomberg, Toyota, the country’s biggest automaker, rose 3.2% to reach 4,870 yen. Mazda Motor Corp., owned in part by Ford Motor Co., added 2.6% to reach 475 yen.

While the long-term impact of the bailouts remains to be seen, speculation runs rampant on both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. For the time being, however, it seems that at least some international markets are experiencing some interesting growth. For more information on how this can impact car purchasing in the United States, drop by your local Honda dealer today.

It may not seem like it, but Hyundai has been operating in Canada for 25 years. When Michael Jackson released Thriller, Hyundai was opening its doors in the Great White North. Since then, the ride Michael Jackson took was somewhat less than satisfactory, whereas Hyundai has enjoyed some significant success in the country.

Over the last two and a half decades, Hyundai has gone through some significant changes in Canada and has evolved into a company more equipped to deal with its solid customer base than ever.

In Hyundai’s first year in Canada, the company sold 25,000 units. Fast-forward to present day and there are 12 world-class products available for sale in the showrooms, giving Hyundai a nice base of vehicles with which to work. The company’s growth has benefited the dealerships and the customers, offering bold new products for reasonable prices.

Throughout the years, Hyundai has also done rather well with safety and customer satisfaction awards. Hyundai consistently ranks among the industry’s top performing automakers in product quality.  From the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick to Strategic Vision’s Total Quality Awards, Hyundai has gained consistent industry recognition in Canada for being among the best in the business.

For more information regarding Hyundai and the last 25 years of the company in Canada, drop on by a local Hyundai dealer. Who knows, you may even get in on a truly Northern promotion…

Hyundai is getting set to launch two thirty second spots regarding its luxury Genesis for 2009. The spots will air during the 2009 Super Bowl.

Along with the Super Bowl spots, Hyundai is shifting its marketing partners from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners to the World Marketing Group. While Goodby and Partners have not been cut loose entirely, the creative duties will fall mainly with the World Marketing Group. Hyundai will continue to work with Goodby somewhat.

“This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion,” Hyundai marketing chief Joel Ewanick said. “Yes, we are going to transition to our international partner World Marketing Group, which already manages our media buys. But we are going to continue to work with [Goodby] for some time.”

Goodby will be handling Hyundai’s Super Bowl spots and will be articulating the latest Genesis campaign in creative terms. The Genesis will need all the help it can get, too, as its sales have been less than ideal. For Hyundai, the car is a risk because the company is mostly known for its lower-priced vehicles. By having a luxury car on the docket, Hyundai runs a serious risk if the car doesn’t do well.

The Super Bowl spots and Hyundai’s other marketing plans are obviously very important. For more information on the other cars on the docket or on the company’s future plans, head on down to your local Hyundai dealer today.

On Thursday, Honda revealed that it had developed an airbag that would put other airbags to shame.

The Tokyo automaker said that it is introducing the world’s first airbag that inflates in stages, which mitigates the force of deployment. The new airbag is said to be safer than other airbags and will stop the sudden jolting that can lead to injuries from standard airbags. With the new airbag, Honda is hoping to increase the safety rating of their vehicles significantly.

The new air bag will be introduced in the Life minicar, which goes on sale in Japan in November. Plans for exporting the airbag overseas are tenuous at the moment, as regulations may have different enforcement issues in terms of how and where the airbag can be included.

The new airbag is also quicker. It inflates to a safe size in 0.015 seconds, whereas most current air bags take 0.030 seconds according to Honda.

Along with the airbag system, Honda is unveiling a camera system that will improve the ability of the driver to see the blind-spots. A car navigation monitor will reveal what the camera picks up. The system, which uses cameras in the front, sides and rear of a vehicle, will be offered in the Odyssey minivan. The minivan is set to go on sale next month in Japan. Overseas plans are once again undecided.

For more information about the new airbag or the new car navigation camera system, drop on by your local Honda dealer.