2003 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan on 2040-cars

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Honda Accord Hybrid sales capacity constrained

Honda might be selling more hybrids if it could just get them to dealers. While the second-generation Insight never lived up to sales expectations and production is ending, the Japanese automaker is seeing strong demand for the Accord Hybrid here and abroad. However, there is so much global consumer desire that it can't keep them in US showrooms.
The problem limiting the sales of the Accord Hybrid is its battery pack and its popularity in Japan. "There's a waiting list for the product," said Jeff Conrad, Honda general manager, to Ward's Auto about the sedan's US popularity. While the American Accord is built in Marysville, OH, the batteries are imported from Japan, where the model is quite popular. According to Ward's data, the automaker sold 2,414 examples of the hybrid version from October 2013 to February 2014 in the US, but it shifted 6,000 units in Japan in its first three months on sale. Conrad also admitted that the constrained supply is limiting the amount of marketing the automaker can do for the hybrid.
Honda spokesperson Chris Martin told Autoblog the company is working on a solution to increase production for the near future. "We are going to resolve the battery issue," he said.

In Honda Super Bowl ad, Ridgeline teaches sheep to sing

Honda hopes that its Super Bowl ad's combination of a classic Queen song and an adorable premise are enough to get customers excited about the 2017 Ridgeline. The 60-second spot for the new pickup airs during the game's third quarter, and the commercial is sure to leave Somebody to Love stuck in your head. The spot titled A New Truck to Love stars a sheep rancher who likes to listen to Freddie Mercury while hauling animals to the field. He even uses the truck's bed-mounted stereo to enjoy some tunes while at work. The sheep apparently like Queen's songs because they start singing along when their owner is away. This is the one of the better auto ads for Super Bowl 50 that we've seen yet. A look at the truck's capabilities would be nice, but at least the commercial's premise is highly enjoyable. Plus, it's hard not to enjoy Queen. Honda's spot could be a popular one during this year's game. Innovative 2017 Honda Ridgeline Pickup Leads the Flock in New Super Bowl Commercial Feb 1, 2016 60-second commercial features music by Queen, performed by some unlikely and unforgettable co-stars Directed by Bryan Buckley, creator of more than 40 Super Bowl ads Extensive multiplatform campaign to support launch of new TV spot Consumers can enter to win a first drive of new Honda truck at "Camp Ridgeline" Honda today offered a sneak peek of the brand's commercial for Super Bowl 50 starring the highly innovative 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup, a wily herding dog and a flock of sheep singing a classic Queen song, "Somebody to Love." Fans tuning in to Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, Feb. 7, will see the 60-second spot, "A New Truck to Love," during the third quarter, but the entertaining commercial is now available for viewing in its entirety on Honda's YouTube channel (http://honda.us/BigGameCommercial). Directed by Oscar-nominated director Bryan Buckley — dubbed "King of the Super Bowl" for his role in bringing to life more than 40 commercials for the big game — the new Honda commercial imagines how a rancher might use one of Ridgeline's available features, the industry's very first factory truck-bed audio system, enabling music to play outside the truck. This poses the question, "What if his sheep learned how to sing?" with the commercial showing the sheep being dropped off by the new Ridgeline and then performing the classic Queen hit after the rancher departs. The spot signals not only Honda's return to the Super Bowl, but the return of the all-new Ridgeline to market.

Race Recap: 2013 Indianapolis 500 better than Bollywood; all the emotion, none of the music [spoilers]

If the 2013 Indy 500 were a movie it would be the one expected to win all the little statues come awards season, and if it were an athlete it would have made spectators watch in awe as it broke record after record. And this kind of talk comes after last year's race was considered one of the best ever - the last lap hijinks in 2012 and Takuma Sato's crash leading to a podium ceremony straight out of a Golden Globes tearjerker.
But this year's race delivered more than anyone expected, from the 250,000 fans to the commentators to the IndyCar series itself and, finally, to the guy who hopped through a two-mile window on Lap 197 to take the lead and keep it until the end.