Very Clean 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid on 2040-cars

Auto blog

One lucky customer got the first HondaJet for Christmas

The wait is finally over – for one fortunate customer, at least. After an extensive gestation period, the Honda Aircraft Company has delivered the first HondaJet to its eagerly awaiting new owner. And with it, the Japanese industrial giant has stepped into yet another territory of motorized transportation. Though Honda first started experimenting with aircraft as far back as the 1980s, the development of the HondaJet as we now know it dates back to the late 1990s when designer Michimasa Fujino – now chief executive of the Honda Aircraft Company – first penned its form. The company has been working on getting it into the air and into customer hands ever since, with that process culminating now on no less fitting a day than just this past Christmas Eve. Following the type certification received from the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month, the handover of the first customer aircraft took place at the company's headquarters at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC. That's where Honda will be producing all its aircraft, performing service and maintenance, and training its customer pilots, which has already begun on its on-site, full-motion flight simulator. A network of dealers handles sales across North America, South America, and Europe. The company did not disclose the identity of the first customer, but suffice it to say it was not Jenson Button – even though he is, once again, driving a Honda-powered F1 car. The HondaJet HA-420 is classified as a very light business jet, measuring 42 feet and 7 inches long with a 39'9" wingspan. Power comes from a pair of turbofan engines produced by Honda and General Electric, each good for over 2,000 pounds of thrust and together are capable of propelling the aircraft to a cruising speed of 435 miles per hour or a top speed of 483 mph. That makes the HA-420 far and away the fastest vehicle Honda makes across numerous modes of transportation. In addition to cars, trucks, and jets, the company produces motorcycles, ATVs, marine engines, and lawnmowers, making it one of the most diverse manufacturers in the industry. Related Video: Honda Aircraft Company Begins HondaJet Deliveries Dec 23, 2015 - GREENSBORO, N.C. Honda Aircraft Company today announced it has begun deliveries of the HondaJet, the world's most advanced light jet. The company delivered the first aircraft today at its world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Honda fined $70 million for failing to report deaths, injuries

The federal agency charged with keeping US motorists safe announced Thursday it has fined Honda $70 million for failing to report death and injury data in a timely manner. Honda failed to report 1,729 incidents involving death or injury over an 11-year period, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials. Federal law requires automakers to report deaths, injuries and certain warranty claims. Officials said Thursday that information could have been used to spot trends in automotive defects and potentially save lives. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said it is possible the Department of Justice could conduct a criminal investigation into the failures, but it was not immediately known whether the Justice Department would pursue such charges. NHTSA officials still don't know much about the 1,729 incidents of death or injury that were missing from the Early Warning Reporting records, because in some cases, they still haven't been reported. Mark Rosekind, the agency's new administrator, said Honda is still in the process of sending investigators the missing information. "Our first task will be to review that, and determine actual deaths and injuries," he said. "That data is in the process of coming to us and being processed right now." The $70 million is the largest civil penalty levied against an automaker in history, officials said. It actually consists of two $35 million penalties, the maximum allowed by statute for a single TREAD Act violation. In this case, NHTSA broke the fine into separate violations, one for the missing deaths and injury information and one for the company's failure to report certain warranty-claim information. Honda reached an agreement with the federal government in late December, in which it accepted additional regulatory oversight and third-party audits that will ensure reporting is properly completed in the future. Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Government/Legal Honda transportation

Honda issues 'do not drive' order for older cars with recalled Takata airbags

Honda and Acura instructed owners of more than 8,000 cars built from 2001-2003 to park them until they can have their Takata airbags replaced as part of the ongoing global campaign to eliminate millions of deadly inflators. Honda says the "Alpha" generation Takata inflators can fail at rates as high as 50%, causing potentially fatal injuries from flying shrapnel in the event of a collision.  Honda and Acura models with the "Alpha" generation Takata airbags include:  2001-2002 Honda Accord  2001-2002 Honda Civic  2002 Honda CR-V  2002 Honda Odyssey  2003 Honda Pilot  2002-2003 Acura 3.2 TL  2003 Acura 3.2CL "Approximately 8,200 Honda and Acura vehicles with the most dangerous airbags are still being driven today. Honda has replaced or accounted for more than 99% of Alpha inflators, but it is absolutely critical that these remaining vehicle owners act now to protect themselves and their loved ones," Honda's announcement said. "These vehicles are 20 to 22 years old now, and the risk to vehicle occupants is dire. Alpha air bags are some of the oldest under recall, and they have a 50% failure rate. If the inflators rupture, the metal fragments ejected toward the driver’s face could kill or leave them with devastating, life-altering injuries." Honda and Acura are far from the only brands whose models were built with defective inflators. A campaign has been underway for the better part of a decade to replace millions of the devices worldwide as drivers continue to die from injuries caused by exploding inflators.  All such repairs are free of charge to customers. Acura/Honda Customer Service can be reached at 888-234-2138 or by visiting their Takata website.   Recalls Acura Honda Ownership Safety Takata airbag recall