2018 Honda Odyssey Ex-l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Honda releases "Green Dealer" Guide, Tesla's China president steps down

Honda has released its "Green Dealer" Guide to the public. The guide, which is used to outline ways for Honda and Acura dealerships to be more environmentally responsible can also help other businesses take the same steps to green up their practices, save energy and even save money in the process. The guide, which ranks dealers based on a points system, provides incentive to dealerships to implement the environmentally practices, but it also helps Honda assert itself as a leader for green business. Read more at Automotive News or in the press release below. Nissan Leaf owners in the UK love their car, and aren't looking back at their fossil-fueled past. According to a survey by Nissan, 93 percent use the EV as their main family vehicle. 89 percent report saving money driving, 64 percent prefer it to driving a conventionally powered car and 95 percent would recommend the car to a friend. Most said they wouldn't go back to a gas or diesel car. One owner even gave up his Aston Martin for a second Leaf so he and his wife wouldn't argue over who got to drive the EV to work each day. That's love. Read more at Next Green Car and at Hybrid Cars. Renault has outlined its future sustainable mobility plans, including two pieces of technology going into production cars soon. Renault will put a smaller, more efficient electric motor into production, as well as a three-cylinder dual-fuel gasoline/liquid petroleum gas engine. The HYDIVU prototype will help Renault research mild hybrid technology for light commercial vehicles. The VELUD project will look into making the last mile of urban deliveries more sustainable. Renault is also testing a two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine for small vehicle platforms. Read more in the press release below. Tesla's China president has resigned. Veronica Wu had been in charge of the company's operations in China for the past nine months, and with her leaving the company, Tom Zhu will step into the role. Jochen Siebert of Shanghai-based JSC Automotive Consulting says that, "Tesla counts on China as one of their main drivers of growth after California, and it might have been more difficult than they thought." Tesla states it is still "confident in the Chinese market," where it has sold the Model S since April. Read more at Bloomberg.

2016 Honda Civic colors and interiors leaked

UPDATE: Honda enthusiast forum Temple of VTEC also reported the 2016 Civic color information. We're just a short time away from our first test of the new Honda Civic, which should be when we get the full slate of details. We are, however, impatient and imagine that you are, too. That's why we're stoked about a discovery from 10thCivicForum.com, which shows the entire interior and exterior color slate, along with their specific combinations. There will be nine exterior paint colors, including some that fans of the current Civic will be familiar with. Taffeta White, White Orchid Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic (shown above), are all carry overs from the current-gen four-door, while Rallye Red is an addition from the current two-door Civic. Other colors can be found on other products in the Honda catalog, including Lunar Silver Metallic from the Accord and Aegean Blue Metallic from the Fit. New shades include Cosmic Blue Metallic and Burgundy Night Pearl. Every color will be offered on every trim, except for Taffeta White, which is only offered on the basic 2.0-liter LX model. The interior colors are, of course, more predictable. You can choose from black, gray, or ivory. Exciting, we know. You can check out the entire color matrix, which breaks down which interior colors pair with which paints on the entire Civic range, over at 10thCivicForum.com. Check it out, and keep an eye out for our first drive of the latest Civic Sedan, coming soon.

Honda thumbs nose at fleet sales, claims it leads in key vehicle segments

Fleet sales are a way of life in the automotive industry. There are many non-retail customers that need vehicles, but going too far can reduce brand image and vehicle resale value. While some of its competitors have fleet sale that account for up to 20 or 30 of overall sales, Honda is bragging that it has the lowest fleet sales of all mainstream automakers for the first five months of 2013.
After calculating new-car registration data from R.L. Polk, Honda says that just two percent of its sales through went to fleet customers compared to an industry average of 19 percent. Even though this means Honda leaves plenty of sales on the table each month, it also claims to have the highest resale value and lowest cost of ownership among its competitors. In terms of retail sales, Honda says that the Civic, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey all lead their respective segments, and it breaks down/brags about its retail sales success in the press release, which is posted below.