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Honda, Hyundai and Kia get best word-of-mouth recommendations in US

Forget advertising, incentives and, yes, even our excellently crafted vehicle reviews, sometimes the best way for automakers to sell cars is still good ol' fashioned word of mouth. In an attempt to measure this "word of mouth" power, The Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, has created a new study called the Brand Advocacy Index (BAI). The index takes a look at how various industries perform from person to person. Those industries include automotive, smartphones, grocery, mobile telecommunications and banking.
The study polled more than 32,000 individuals across Europe and in the US to come up with the top 55 brands in these various industries. On the automotive side of things, the top brands in the US were Honda, Hyundai and Kia, all tied at 63 percent. On a global scale, Volkswagen and Toyota scored the highest with a 65-percent BAI rating (both in France). The average BAI for auto industry players tallied 50 percent.
As for companies in other industries, Apple's iPhone was the index's top-rated smartphone, Trader Joe's was the highest recommended grocery store, Virgin was sat atop the mobile telecom industry and USAA was the top retail bank. Scroll down for the full press release on the new study.

Honda series follows restoration of its first car in the US

We all have to start somewhere, and for Honda's automotive business in the US the beginning was a green N600. The company brought a handful of the hatchbacks into the US to test the waters. Now, N600 expert Tim Mings has started restoring that special Honda for a weekly documentary series. Mings reckons he has worked on a 1,000 or more N600s and Z600s, but none of them have been as special as this car. He owned it for several years before cleaning off the serial number, which showed this was the very first example in the US. According to Mings, of the first 50 N600s that Honda brought to the US, only three still survive. The N600 boasted a 600cc two-cylinder engine that could rev to 9,000 rpm. Today, you can see a modern interpretation of its boxy design in Honda's N-One Kei-class car in Japan. Honda's documentary series will follow every step of the restoration process, and the completed N600 will go to the company's museum. We can't wait to see how the car looks after Mings brings it back to life. Related Video: HONDA CELEBRATES AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE AND HISTORY IN THE U.S. IN NEW ONLINE SERIES LAUNCHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA "Serial One," new online documentary series features the painstaking restoration of the very first Honda N600 in the U.S Fans can follow the journey as acclaimed N600 mechanic Tim Mings brings the vehicle back to life Mar 16, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif. -- The story of American Honda's first N600 vehicle in the United States in 1969 unfolds through the eyes of a determined mechanic, taking viewers on a journey to restore the first American Honda VIN, "Serial One." Launching today on Honda's social channels and at serialone.com, Honda's new weekly online content series pays homage to the company's roots in America and reflects the challenging spirit of Honda by featuring an in-depth look at the step-by-step restoration of the N600 by Los Angeles-based mechanic Tim Mings. In 1969, after a decade of growth that led to Honda becoming the top-selling motorcycle manufacturer in America and the world, Honda embarked on a new mission to sell cars in the United States. Honda entered the U.S. market with the Honda N600, which was just 122 inches in length and could actually fit between the wheels of some full size vehicles in America, which measured up to 225 inches in length and weighed nearly twice as much as the NSX. The N600 had an all-alloy engine that could achieve 9000 rpm and reach speeds of 81 miles per hour.

Honda Goldwing airbag recall spreads Takata mess to motorcycles

Recall, after recall, after recall, one thing has remained constant in the Takata airbag quagmire: The disaster has been confined to the four-wheeled realm. Not any longer. The Honda Goldwing, the first and so far the only motorcycle equipped with an airbag from the factory, has been recalled. A total of 2,701 motorcycles are involved in this recall, spanning the 2006 through 2010 model years, and only in certain regions. It's sort of confusing, so we suggest perusing the official notice below for all the details. But the gist is the same as ever – Takata's airbag inflators can rupture, potentially propelling shards of metal shrapnel at the vehicle's occupants. Or in this case, the motorcycle riders. Only Goldwings sold or operated in areas with high humidity or frequent temperature cycling are being recalled at this time. No schedule for repairs and replacements has yet been announced, but owners are invited to call Honda at 1-866-784-1870 for more information. As always, you can check the recall status of your vehicle with NHTSA's lookup tool using your car or bike's VIN. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Air Bag Inflator May Rupture , 1 INVESTIGATION(S) Report Receipt Date: MAY 24, 2016 NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V347000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 2,701 Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) SUMMARY: Honda (American Honda Motor, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Honda GL1800 (Gold Wing) motorcycles manufactured February 8, 2006, to May 14, 2009 originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 Honda GL 1800 (Gold Wing) motorcycles manufactured May 10, 2007, to May 14, 2009 originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Motorcycles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall.