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As US exports top 2 million, is America becoming the world's source of cheap cars?

North American auto production is booming with 2014 figures just shy of the of the 17.3-million vehicle record set in 2000. With more models being built on the continent, even more are being shipped overseas. Factories in the US exported 2.1 million cars last year – the highest number ever. About half of those went to Canada and Mexico, but more than ever have been heading to places like the Middle East and China. The upswing comes in part from from after-effects from the Great Recession, according to The Wall Street Journal. With a weak dollar and lower production costs after the financial crisis, building vehicles in the US was relatively cheaper and more competitive in the world. At the same time buyers around the world are going crazy for crossovers. According to the WSJ, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are already exporting the majority of their US production of these models overseas. Both automakers have also announced investments to expand production further here to send more vehicles abroad. Even Honda has been shipping more models out of the country than it imported here. There is a concern this international strength could start slowing because the dollar is strengthening against other currencies, though it's too early to know what the actual effect of this could be, according to the WSJ. "Of course, we closely watch currency exchange, but we don't make changes in production or allocation based on temporary fluctuations in the exchange rate," Ford North American boss Joe Hinrichs told the newspaper. Related Video: News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: BMW Plants/Manufacturing BMW Ford Honda Mercedes-Benz exports us auto production

Honda wins Commercial of the Decade, but not for the ad you think [w/VIDEO]

Honda's Commercial of the Decade: "Grrr" - Click above to watch video
The mad men at Adweek recently voted for the Commercial of the Decade (Super Bowl commercials not included) and Honda took top honors over memorable ads from the last ten years by companies like Nike, Budweiser and Sony. That's not a big surprise considering Honda often puts a huge amount of effort into its on-air spots. However, the Japanese automaker didn't win for the commercial you might have expected: "Cog." Though Honda's famous commercial that breaks down a European Accord Tourer into a Rube Goldberg-esque machine was also a finalist, it was beaten by another Honda commercial called "Grrr" that's narrated by Garrison Keillor of all people. You've probably never seen it, but you can after the jump.
Volkswagen also made the list of finalists, but the particular ad chosen out of all the comical VW ads we've seen was unexpected as well. Most surprising carmaker with a commercial in the finals: Saturn. Who knew...

Honda CEO: electric vehicles are a 'core technology'

The production version of Honda's hydrogen-powered FCEV concept remains on target for release in Japan by March 2016, and it's going to be followed by at least two more vehicles that have some form of electric powertrain. Probably more than two, but we can't be more specific than that. This is what we learned today from a speech by the new president and CEO of Honda Motor Company, Takahiro Hachigo. Speaking about the two main themes he sees for the future of the automaker (the six-region global operation structure and "continuous development of challenging products unique to Honda"), Hachigo once again confirmed an on-sale date for the production version of the FCEV concept that Honda has been trotting out at auto shows for a few years now as happening, "before the end of the current fiscal year" which ends March 31, 2016. He also said something broader about the company's vision for electric cars: "As the next-generation of mobility products, Honda will evolve products that use electricity as a core technology," he said. While we don't yet know what the electric vehicle products are, Hachigo's statements echo those of Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of American Honda, from when the FCEV concept was unveiled: "The Honda FCEV Concept not only sets our direction for our next generation fuel-cell vehicle in 2015, but for future improvements in electric drive technology." Honda previously promised new all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2018, and today's comments signal that that plan is still in place. Things may change though, since Honda's original release date for the FCEV was 2015. Related Video: Summary of CEO Speech on July 6, 2015 TOKYO, Japan, July 6, 2015 - The new President & CEO of Honda Motor Co., Takahiro Hachigo, unveiled his future vision for the company. He highlighted two themes that the new "Team Honda" will pursue: I want to create a new Honda under two themes. < Two themes to be pursued for the new Honda > 1. Advancement of the six-region global operation structure 2. Continuous development of challenging products unique to Honda and delivering them to our customers around the world Let me talk about my vision for the future of Honda which will be established as we pursue these themes. The key word is "Team Honda." < Future of Honda – My thoughts based on personal experiences "at the spot"> Honda's strength is that team/project members share one goal and take on challenges and attain high targets.