It is with a certain sense of pride that we view the Acura product line. Afterall, there is clearly a great deal of 'shared technology' that trickles down
to the Honda product line. Here's a recent post on the Honda Website (Honda 2014):
"The Acura ILX luxury sports sedan has earned the 2014 IntelliChoice Best Overall Value of the Year Award in the Premium Compact Passenger Car category. The IntelliChoice award is based on analysis of every new model sold in the United States and identifies those that have low total ownership costs and lower than expected costs over time when compared to similar models.
"With great performance, premium features and a luxurious interior, ILX is the very definition of value on a luxury scale," said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president and general manager of the Acura Division. "This Overall Best Value award demonstrates customers can step into luxury through this great gateway to the Acura lineup of luxury vehicles."
With its high quality and well-appointed interior, ILX is smart, spacious and sporty. It offers numerous features important to luxury buyers, including a Keyless Access System with smart entry and push-button start, Pandora® interface and SMS text message function for easy connectivity, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, and a power moonroof.
Additional standard equipment on the 2014 Acura ILX includes 17-inch alloy wheels, leather seating surfaces, an eight-way power driver's seat, heated front seats and a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera. The ride experience is further enhanced by an audio-system subwoofer and an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) system.
Also available on ILX is the AcuraLink™ Satellite Communication System, Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™, AcuraLink Real Time Weather™ with radar image maps and HomeLink.
Throughout the year, IntelliChoice aggregates and analyzes data on nearly 2400 vehicle models to determine its Best Overall Values. Data gathered from auto manufacturers, the U.S. government and third-party resources are used to determine the actual costs of ownership for each new vehicle over a five-year period. IntelliChoice then assigns a value rating to each vehicle and compares that rating to peer models to determine a Best Overall Value in each vehicle class. The Best Overall Value awards help consumers understand that the total cost to own a vehicle is influenced by a variety of factors beyond initial purchase price.
About Acura
Acura offers a full line of technologically advanced performance luxury vehicles through a network of 275 dealers within the United States. The Acura lineup features six distinctive models including the RLX luxury flagship sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX Sport Wagon and sedan, the ILX compact luxury sedan, the RDX luxury crossover SUV, and the all-new MDX luxury sport utility vehicle."
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Knowledge well within your reach - It can make a big difference.
1) The Car - the 'product'.
2) The Cost/Price - more appropriately the 'value'
3) The Dealership - this often is embodied in your salesperson.
When you step back from the challenge of making a car deal, the logistics of making that deal, you'll realize that what you are doing is making an investment. Not only in the product but in the dealership. And the people that represent that dealership.
Consider if you will other forms of investment, such as an investment in a business entity. A wise investor will study financial information. They expect companies to publish succinct documention in the form of quality financial reports. Good information supports effective, informative fundamental analysis.
I suppose there are some firms that produce reports that hide rather than reveal information. Just as a wise investor will steer clear of companies that lack transparency in their business operations, financial statements or strategies so should the car shopper.
Our effort to provide transparency throughout our sales process, is intended to nurture your trust, the assurance that you are in good hands with our product and our service and our people.
In the financial investment world the word "transparent" is often used to describe high-quality financial statements. Likewise in our business, transparency is interpreted as anything that is "easily understood," "very clear," "frank" and "candid." That's our style. A more consultive approach to earning your trust and business.
We've infused that interpretation into the three car buying factors. We want you to understand our product. Much of the value added in our automobiles is not visible. So we present the 'car' by offering specifications, comparisons, test drives, and fact sheets so that the customer has a clear understanding of the various features and functions of our product. And the underlying engineering of the vehicle.
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| Honda's ACE Body Structure - Value Added hidden from view |
In the area of cost/value, we offer myriad alternatives in terms of financing, such as purchase or lease options, extended service, etc.
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| Honda Cars Hold Their Value |
In the area of People...we display our MBS characterization on our name tags. (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow) We've earned Honda's Presidents Award for seven straight years.
Wouldn't you like to buy your next car from someone that you know? And trust? What's follows reveal how we go about making that happen for you.
Here's a synopsis, a back story of sorts, that I've borrowed from an article that appeared in 2001 in the Charleston Regional Business Journal. (Quick 2001)
In a 1996 Gallup Poll surveying 26 occupations for honesty and ethics, Americans rated car salesmen dead last — as they had every year since 1977, when the profession first appeared in the poll.
“It’s high time the industry did something about its image,” says Brad Davis, executive general manager of Rick Hendrick Imports on Savannah Highway. “Car dealerships are multi-million-dollar corporations and should take a corporate, professional approach to selling.”
The Hendrick Automotive Group is doing just that with its Charlotte, N.C.-based Hendrick University. There, says Davis, sales trainees take a number of courses, from communication skills to the Hendrick auto dealership’s culture and business philosophy, plus sales training classes.
"A lot of the courses are pretty basic,” says Davis. “Trainees learn how to greet customers, how to present a product, how to take a customer on a road test, how to get to the customer’s real wants and needs to make sure they are being sold the right car. In addition, there are classes in telephone skills, time management and prospecting.”
After the four-day session, trainees return to their regional dealerships and are paired with senior sales reps. “This is when the sales trainees see how things flow at the dealership and learn ‘the road to the sale,’ so to speak,” Davis explains.
Finally, as a follow-up to the Hendrick University session, trainees enroll in a three-day class at the dealership, where they ask more informed questions about the job and review what they’ve learned.
The Hendrick Group uses a selling and management technique created by Kansas-based MBS Inc. called Management By Strength. “You study the temperament traits of people and adjust yourself according to their traits,” explains Davis.
MBS consists of four traits:
– Directness, in which people are hard-driving, decisive and focus on results
– Extroversion, denoting people who are enthusiastic, pleasant and like teamwork
– Pace, describing those of us who are easygoing, well-tempered and plan ahead to avoid being rushed
– Structure, describing well-organized, rule-abiding people who hate making mistakes.
The traits are color-coded — red for directness, green for extroversion, blue for pace, yellow for structure — and Hendrick employees wear nametags with color graphs depicting their MBS traits.
“For instance, when you see a co-worker whose tag has Pace as the highest peak on their graph, you know not to rush them,” explains Davis. “Rick Hendrick has used this for 15 years, and other large corporations use it as well. We teach sales reps to use this technique in reading customers.”
In 2001 the Hendrick Auto Group will incorporate a sales certification program focusing on law and ethics. “We’re also steering new employees down career paths,” adds Davis. “We’re creating a corporate environment to make employees feel they’re a part of the company. It’s this kind of philosophy that’s improving the car salesman image.”
“It’s high time the industry did something about its image,” says Brad Davis, executive general manager of Rick Hendrick Imports on Savannah Highway. “Car dealerships are multi-million-dollar corporations and should take a corporate, professional approach to selling.”
The Hendrick Automotive Group is doing just that with its Charlotte, N.C.-based Hendrick University. There, says Davis, sales trainees take a number of courses, from communication skills to the Hendrick auto dealership’s culture and business philosophy, plus sales training classes.
"A lot of the courses are pretty basic,” says Davis. “Trainees learn how to greet customers, how to present a product, how to take a customer on a road test, how to get to the customer’s real wants and needs to make sure they are being sold the right car. In addition, there are classes in telephone skills, time management and prospecting.”
After the four-day session, trainees return to their regional dealerships and are paired with senior sales reps. “This is when the sales trainees see how things flow at the dealership and learn ‘the road to the sale,’ so to speak,” Davis explains.
Finally, as a follow-up to the Hendrick University session, trainees enroll in a three-day class at the dealership, where they ask more informed questions about the job and review what they’ve learned.
The Hendrick Group uses a selling and management technique created by Kansas-based MBS Inc. called Management By Strength. “You study the temperament traits of people and adjust yourself according to their traits,” explains Davis.
MBS consists of four traits:
– Directness, in which people are hard-driving, decisive and focus on results
– Extroversion, denoting people who are enthusiastic, pleasant and like teamwork
– Pace, describing those of us who are easygoing, well-tempered and plan ahead to avoid being rushed
– Structure, describing well-organized, rule-abiding people who hate making mistakes.
The traits are color-coded — red for directness, green for extroversion, blue for pace, yellow for structure — and Hendrick employees wear nametags with color graphs depicting their MBS traits.
“For instance, when you see a co-worker whose tag has Pace as the highest peak on their graph, you know not to rush them,” explains Davis. “Rick Hendrick has used this for 15 years, and other large corporations use it as well. We teach sales reps to use this technique in reading customers.”
In 2001 the Hendrick Auto Group will incorporate a sales certification program focusing on law and ethics. “We’re also steering new employees down career paths,” adds Davis. “We’re creating a corporate environment to make employees feel they’re a part of the company. It’s this kind of philosophy that’s improving the car salesman image.”
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
U.S. finalizes plan to phase in rearview camera mandate, starting in 2016
NHTSA Announces Final Rule Requiring Rear Visibility Technology
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued a final rule requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents.
“Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents—our children and seniors,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “As a father, I can only imagine how heart wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today’s rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents.”
Today’s final rule requires all vehicles under 10,000 pounds, including buses and trucks, manufactured on or after May 1, 2018, to come equipped with rear visibility technology that expands the field of view to enable the driver of a motor vehicle to detect areas behind the vehicle to reduce death and injury resulting from backover incidents. The field of view must include a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. The system must also meet other requirements including image size, linger time, response time, durability, and deactivation.
“Rear visibility requirements will save lives, and will save many families from the heartache suffered after these tragic incidents occur," said NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman. "We’re already recommending this kind of life-saving technology through our NCAP program and encouraging consumers to consider it when buying cars today."
On average, there are 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backover crashes. NHTSA has found that children under 5 years old account for 31 percent of backover fatalities each year, and adults 70 years of age and older account for 26 percent.
NHTSA took time on this regulation to ensure that the policy was right and make the rule flexible and achievable. In fact, at this point, many companies are installing rear visibility technology on their own, due to consumer demand. Including vehicles that already have systems installed, 58 to 69 lives are expected to be saved each year once the entire on-road vehicle fleet is equipped with rear visibility technology meeting the requirements of today’s final rule.
The final rule complements action taken by the agency last year to incorporate rear visibility technology into the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). NHTSA’s NCAP program – widely known for its 5-Star Safety Ratings – highlights for consumers the vehicle makes and models that are equipped with the agency’s Recommended Advanced Technology Features that can help drivers avoid crashes and reduce other safety risks. Forward collision warning (FCW) and lane departure warning (LDW) systems are also highlighted under NCAP on www.safercar.gov.
To help prevent future deaths and injuries, especially those involving small children, NHTSA offers these important safety tips.
"To reduce the risk of devastating backover crashes involving vulnerable
populations (including very young children) and to satisfy the mandate of the Cameron
Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, NHTSA is issuing this final rule to expand
the required field of view for all passenger cars, trucks, multipurpose passenger vehicles, buses,
and low-speed vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of less than 10,000 pounds. The agency
anticipates that today’s final rule will significantly reduce backover crashes involving children,
persons with disabilities, the elderly, and other pedestrians who currently have the highest risk
associated with backover crashes. Specifically, today’s final rule specifies an area behind the
vehicle which must be visible to the driver when the vehicle is placed into reverse and other
related performance requirements. The agency anticipates that, in the near term, vehicle
manufacturers will use rearview video systems and in-vehicle visual displays to meet the
requirements of this final rule.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued a final rule requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents.
“Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable victims of backover accidents—our children and seniors,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “As a father, I can only imagine how heart wrenching these types of accidents can be for families, but we hope that today’s rule will serve as a significant step toward reducing these tragic accidents.”
Today’s final rule requires all vehicles under 10,000 pounds, including buses and trucks, manufactured on or after May 1, 2018, to come equipped with rear visibility technology that expands the field of view to enable the driver of a motor vehicle to detect areas behind the vehicle to reduce death and injury resulting from backover incidents. The field of view must include a 10-foot by 20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle. The system must also meet other requirements including image size, linger time, response time, durability, and deactivation.
“Rear visibility requirements will save lives, and will save many families from the heartache suffered after these tragic incidents occur," said NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman. "We’re already recommending this kind of life-saving technology through our NCAP program and encouraging consumers to consider it when buying cars today."
On average, there are 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries per year caused by backover crashes. NHTSA has found that children under 5 years old account for 31 percent of backover fatalities each year, and adults 70 years of age and older account for 26 percent.
NHTSA took time on this regulation to ensure that the policy was right and make the rule flexible and achievable. In fact, at this point, many companies are installing rear visibility technology on their own, due to consumer demand. Including vehicles that already have systems installed, 58 to 69 lives are expected to be saved each year once the entire on-road vehicle fleet is equipped with rear visibility technology meeting the requirements of today’s final rule.
The final rule complements action taken by the agency last year to incorporate rear visibility technology into the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). NHTSA’s NCAP program – widely known for its 5-Star Safety Ratings – highlights for consumers the vehicle makes and models that are equipped with the agency’s Recommended Advanced Technology Features that can help drivers avoid crashes and reduce other safety risks. Forward collision warning (FCW) and lane departure warning (LDW) systems are also highlighted under NCAP on www.safercar.gov.
To help prevent future deaths and injuries, especially those involving small children, NHTSA offers these important safety tips.
"To reduce the risk of devastating backover crashes involving vulnerable
populations (including very young children) and to satisfy the mandate of the Cameron
Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, NHTSA is issuing this final rule to expand
the required field of view for all passenger cars, trucks, multipurpose passenger vehicles, buses,
and low-speed vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of less than 10,000 pounds. The agency
anticipates that today’s final rule will significantly reduce backover crashes involving children,
persons with disabilities, the elderly, and other pedestrians who currently have the highest risk
associated with backover crashes. Specifically, today’s final rule specifies an area behind the
vehicle which must be visible to the driver when the vehicle is placed into reverse and other
related performance requirements. The agency anticipates that, in the near term, vehicle
manufacturers will use rearview video systems and in-vehicle visual displays to meet the
requirements of this final rule.
Homes and Cars produce half of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions
"Why would a car company set out to build one of the world’s most energy efficient and technologically advanced smart homes? Together, American homes and cars produce almost half of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Honda Smart Home US represents our vision for zero carbon living and mobility. Over the course of a year, the home’s solar panels generate all the electricity needed for the home and there's Honda Fit EV in the garage.
Sustainable and high-tech, Honda Smart Home US is a showcase of environmental innovation, demonstrating Honda's vision for zero-carbon living and personal mobility. A vision of a lifestyle of renewable energy for home and transportation, HSH features new technologies to greatly reduce the amount of energy consumed by individual households, including the use of solar power to directly charge a Honda Fit EV battery electric vehicle.
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