Honda Fit...A Global Force...Field Proven

From Queensland, Australia,  Honda and Evans Motorsport leading the two-wheel drive category of the 2012 Bosch ARC, aim to continue their winning ways at the Brakes Direct International Rally of Queensland this weekend. 
The G2 Honda Jazz(aka Honda Fit) which debuted at the first round of the Bosch ARC this year, have been performing as sharply as predicted. Evans and Weston led by over two minutes in Perth at the Quit Forest Rally, a round Eli considered to be the toughest of the championship.
“The Honda Jazz G2 rally cars have been the talk of the championship this year and are crowd favourites due to their speed, aggressive looks, and the great sound from the high revving Mugen tuned engines,” said co-driver, Glen Weston. The third round kicks off on the Sunshine Coast, on Friday 25th May, marking the mid-point of the season. Of the possible 172 points on offer from the first two rounds, Evans and Weston have scored an impressive 170. 

Honda Continues to develop and refine the ICE!!

Bryan Herta will try to win this year's Indianapolis 500 with the same engine that took him to Victory Lane last year -- Honda.

A little more than two weeks after Herta's team was released from its contract with engine-manufacturer Lotus, Bryan Herta Autosport announced it would use Honda Motor Co. engines for the rest of this season. The move comes two days before practice opens for the 500 and a little more than two weeks before the May 27 race.

"My time as a Honda driver in both the IndyCar Series, as well as the time spent driving factory Acura LMP2 in the American Le Mans Series, were among my most rewarding and memorable years in racing," Herta said. "So it is with great personal pleasure that we are returning to the Honda family for the remainder of the 2012 season."

The move revved up hope among team members that they can defend the 500 title after a slow start in 2012.

But Honda will now have 15 cars trying to make the 33-car Indy field, including Tagliani's No. 98 car. The late Dan Wheldon drove that number into Victory Lane for Herta last season after passing race leader JR Hildebrand in the front straightaway. Hildebrand crashed on the final turn of the last lap. Wheldon was killed in October in a crash at Las Vegas.

"We're pleased to be able to renew our relationship with Bryan Herta and his team," said Steve Eriksen, vice president of Honda Performance Development. "His team's victory in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 was the stuff of legend, and all of us at HPD and American Honda are delighted to have a hand in helping him defend that championship."

Family Friendly Midsize SUV's...Honda CR-V is at the Top of the Class

I've noticed incredible momentum with the sales of CR-Vs.  With its large back seat, easy access and ample cargo space, the family-friendly Honda CR-V topped the Mazda CX-V in Consumer Reports' latest head-to-head small SUVs tests.

On paper, the redesigned CR-V and new CX-5 appear very similar. Both can

• accommodate five passengers,
• have comparable dimensions,
• are available with front- or all-wheel drive, and
• are priced about the same.

With overall road-test scores-with a 77 and a 75, respectively, they also finished very close in Consumer Reports.  Just under the segment-leading Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester.

Some experts see beyond statistics and while their overall scores were close, the CR-V and the Maxda CX-5,  have very distinct characteristics that will probably appeal to different types of drivers"


Check out the full report on Consumer Reports' latest small SUV tests at  http://www.consumerreports.org/  This will also appear in the June issue of Consumer Reports on newsstands May 8th.

Only the CR-V is Recommended by Consumer Reports. Although the CX-5 scored well enough, it's still too new for CR to have reliability information. To be Recommended, a vehicle must perform well in CR's battery of tests, have average or better reliability in CR's Annual Auto Survey and perform well in government and industry crash tests.