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Honda to use English as its official language

Honda still has its headquarters in Japan and offices all over the world, but expect to hear a little less Japanese from the automaker in the coming years. A small statement in the business' latest sustainability report (available here as a PDF) announces English will become the official language for interregional communication by 2020. Honda believes that the change should foster better contact between countries as Japan becomes a less central focus for the company. As part of this shift, any documents or questions during interregional meetings, plus any other information being shared between territories, must be in English. To put some extra weight behind the mandate, the ability to speak the language is going to be a requirement for future promotions to management. In the meantime, "Honda has implemented measures in Japan that include study programs aimed at boosting English language skills," the sustainability report said. According to Automotive News, former CEO Takanobu Ito called the idea of making English an official language for company communications "stupid" five years ago. Although even under his watch, things were changing. In 2013, Honda adopted English as the main form of discourse in global meetings. The decision to lessen the focus on Japanese within Honda stems in part from changing worker demographics and major sales regions. According to Automotive News, 81 percent of the company's production comes from outside of Japan, and the country only accounts for about a third of the workforce. Also, 40 percent of global sales are from North America. Honda is quickly transitioning into a more global company in general. For example, the latest Civic Type R is assembled in the UK but has an engine from the US. Also, North America is getting the European made Civic five-door hatchback for the venerable model's next generation. English as the Official Language Setting English as the official language in inter- regional communications It is vital to develop an environment that achieves close communication between associates in six regions worldwide in order for the Honda Group to display its comprehensive capabilities while local sites are independent.

Honda finds new Green Path to reduce CO2 emissions

In the wake of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, it's impossible to hear an automaker talk about its overall environmental efforts and not think to yourself, "for real?" Still, we're willing to listen. And Honda representatives gave it their best shot yesterday in Marysville, OH as they introduced a small group of journalist to the company's expanded initiative aimed at cutting CO2 emissions and the total life-cycle environmental impact of Honda products. Called Green Path, the initiative now includes a $210-million expansion at Honda's Marysville, OH manufacturing plant to install a better, cleaner paint shop. Speaking at the facility yesterday, Honda representatives said that the plant room is not only better for the environment (it uses limestone dust instead of water to capture paint particles, for example, reducing water usage by about 2 million gallons annually. Overall, the new paint shop will have 60 percent less VOC emissions and reduce CO2 emissions by 18 percent), it also makes the cars look better. That's whey the two-step temperature curing process will initially only be used on Acuras to differentiate them from the competition. Honda will fire up trials in late 2017. There's more to Green Path than the new paint show, of course. The company wants to reduce - in some cases eliminate - what it calls substances of concern (SOCs), things like lead and mercury. There are also new wind turbines in Ohio to supply power to Honda plants, the Environmental Leadership Program for independent dealerships to make their own green moves, and swapping out fluorescent light bulbs for LEDs, among other efforts. In the Marysville Auto Plant, for example, the Assembly department has over 10,000 task light bulbs. The fluorescent ones used to need to be replaced every three years, but the new LEDs have a life span of 16 years. Honda says that calculating up the impact of all of these little changes will remove an average of 3.822 kilograms of CO2 from the production tally of each car it makes. The company's stated goal is to reduce its total greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent (compared to 2000 levels) by 2050. You can find out more in Honda's press release and video, below. Honda Announces New "Green Path" Initiative to Reduce Total Life-Cycle Environmental Impact MARYSVILLE, Ohio (Sept.

American motorcycle brands most satisfying, Japanese most reliable, says Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports started tracking motorcycle reliability last year through its regular reader survey, just like the magazine's well-known auto guide. For the 2015 edition, CR now has data on over 12,300 bikes, compared to 4,680 in 2014, and the extra info means it can include more brands, like Suzuki, Triumph and Can-Am, to the list. However, the final results remain largely the same. As with last year, Japanese bikes are the best choice for buyers who prioritize reliability. Yamaha comes out on top yet again and is followed by Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda. Victory and Harley-Davidson hold the middle of the list, and the European cycles from Triumph, Ducati and BMW sit at the bottom. The major outlier in this regional distinction is the Can-Am Spyder from Canada's Bombardier Recreational Products that comes in dead last in the dependability survey. Still, even the most dependable model is occasionally going to break, and the average repair bill across all brands is $342, according to CR's readers. Kawasakis are the cheapest to keep on the road at a median of $269 for fixes, versus BMW as the most expensive at $455. Through all of the companies, electrical gremlins are the most common issue, causing 24 percent of problems, but faults with the cooling system, pistons or transmission are the smallest concerns at 4 percent each. While Japanese cycles might be the easiest to keep on the road, they aren't the most beloved by riders. In CR's gauge of satisfaction, the Americans reign supreme. Victory owners love their bikes the most with 80 percent reporting that they would buy another. Harley riders are known for having a close bond to the company's models, and the brand comes in second with 72 percent. Finally, Honda rounds out the top three at 70 percent. Head over to Consumer Reports to see more results. News Source: Consumer ReportsImage Credit: Toby Brusseau / AP Photo BMW Honda Suzuki Motorcycle Ducati bike victory