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2018 Honda Accord charges into slumping sedan market

DETROIT - Honda on Friday revealed its newest-generation Accord, one of four re-engineered midsize sedans that Asian automakers are betting on to win market share as Detroit automakers shift focus to SUVs, crossovers, and pickup trucks. The new Accord, like rival Toyota's all-new Camry arriving this month, offers major improvements in fuel economy, technology, styling and safety. Honda declined to discuss details ahead of Friday's event in Detroit. The Accord and Camry are pillars of their manufacturers' US businesses, each selling well over 300,000 vehicles a year. In the coming months, Nissan is expected to launch a new Altima midsize sedan, and Hyundai will launch a new Sonata. Both are popular marques that will be promoted heavily. "There has been no new news on the midsize sedan side for three years, and we think this is a great opportunity to bring attention back to the segment," said Jack Hollis, Toyota's head of marketing for North America. Year to date, US passenger car sales are down 11.4 percent, and sales of midsize sedans are down 14.2 percent. Still, Americans bought 7.1 million sedans in 2016. With General Motors and Ford cutting sedan production, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles abandoning the segment, Honda and its Asian rivals could boost sales with updated models, dealers said. "They could take share from other brands, which is traditionally what happens when a new product is launched," said Pete DeLongchamps, vice president for manufacturer relations at Group 1 Automotive Inc, the third-largest US auto dealer group. "NOT FINDING A PLACE WITH CONSUMERS" The Accord for years was Honda's top-selling model in the United States. Within the past year, US sales of the Honda CR-V have eclipsed the aging Accord, and Honda has expanded production capacity for the compact crossover. Passenger-car sales have steadily declined since 2012, when they made up 51.2 percent of the US market. Sedans have sagged to a 38.1 percent share in the first half of this year. IHS Markit said US consumer loyalty to SUVs and pickup trucks has risen since 2012, but declined for sedans. The new Accord and Camry "may stem the decline," said IHS Markit's Tom Libby. "I don't think they will cause a marked reverse." Improvements to the Accord should boost sales at Galpin Honda in San Fernando, California, general manager Ed Hartoonian said.

Recharge Wrap-Up: Georgia lawyers love the Nissan Leaf, 2B vehicles by 2035

Loads of lawyers at a firm in Georgia are taking advantage of the state's EV tax credit. Georgia offers a tax credit on leases and purchases of electric vehicles for 20 percent of the car's value, up to $5,000. This has created a trend among lawyers at Arnall Golden Gregory, who one after another have been switching from gas-powered cars to the all-electric Nissan Leaf. They appreciate the environmental benefits, as well as toll exemption and access to HOV lanes, but the tax credit seems to be the biggest motivation to switch. Says lawyer Scott Wandstrat, "Everybody is signing up, now that all the cool kids are doing it." Read more at Daily Report. (Thanks to Kevin D. for the tip!) There's an easy way to see what kind of battery pack a Tesla Model S is using. Underneath the car on the passenger side, just behind the front wheel is a sticker on the outside of the battery pack. At the top is the battery size, 60 kWh or 85 kWh. Below that is a part number, followed by a letter. According to this Tesla Motors Club wiki, those numbers denote new or refurbished battery packs. The A, B or D following that number refers to the generation of battery, which also corresponds to charging capabilities. Knowing how to decode a Tesla pack could be useful if you ever need to replace your battery. Get more details at Teslarati. There will be 2 billion vehicles in use by 2035, according to a forecast by Navigant Research. The group who brought you the fuel consumption figures we shared with you previously estimates that there are currently almost 1.2 billion light-duty vehicles in use today. Navigant expects stop-start technology to grow, with 45 percent of vehicles on the road being equipped with it by 2035. Read more at Green Car Reports. The Hybrid Shop, which specializes in reconditioning batteries, is now an AskPatty Certified Female Friendly Auto Repair Facility. AskPatty, an automotive website which offers advice for women, credits The Hybrid Shop for providing a safe and comfortable environment for women, as well as offering valuable automotive services. The Hybrid Shop has launched its own corresponding microsite, which offers the resources most requested by women. Learn more in the press release below.

Game on as Formula One fields teams for virtual eSports competition

HORLEY, England — Grand prix teams could be racing each other in the virtual world as well as the real one next season, and fighting to sign up the hottest gamer talent, as Formula One wakes to the power of eSports. Darren Cox, the man behind McLaren's "World's Fastest Gamer" competition who also saw one of his drivers win Formula One's first eSports series in Abu Dhabi last month, feels a tipping point has been reached this year. The former Nissan motorsport boss, who runs the eSPORTS+CARS virtual team, can also see the day dawning — in maybe three to five years' time — when top gamers are earning more than the lowest paid drivers on the real F1 starting grid. In a wide-ranging interview at a simulator center where his drivers train near London's Gatwick airport, Cox told Reuters that he expected Formula One teams to become involved in next year's eSports series. "If you look at what the NBA (basketball) has done ... they engaged the teams right at the beginning. So 17 of the NBA teams have got franchises for the virtual side of the sport, and there's a draft like in the real world. "So expect something like that to come out of (Formula One owners) Liberty," added Cox. "It's happening now. Those conversations are being had. "This absolutely will be a big priority for them (Liberty), and I believe they have made it clear to the teams that they will be involved, in some way. "And then I guess it's down to the teams about how involved they want to be." Kitchen porter turns champion Formula One's first eSports series was won by Brendon Leigh, an 18-year-old kitchen porter who had never previously been out of Britain. Leigh, who drives for Cox's team and emerged triumphant from 63,000 initial hopefuls, is likely to go professional. Some gamers in other arenas are already earning more than $1 million a year, and Cox said the rewards in motorsport were growing all the time. "If you go back 18 months, these guys were winning an X-box and a free subscription, not any cash. The cash has suddenly come, and I think that will ramp up," said the man who has been dubbed the "Godfather of virtual racing." Cox dismissed as irrelevant the debate about whether eSport is a sport. "It's here, it's got millions of viewers, it's got a commercial backbone that is strong. It doesn't matter if someone in sport thinks it's a sport or not. eSports don't care." He expected all the big F1 teams to end up partnering with outfits like his.