Despite the bad language coming from the Honda Civic's owner in this video, all parties are guilty of being criminally stupid. There's a reason that race cars use special trailers (enclosed or open) with specific ramps.
Pushing a Civic onto a U Haul, with a flimsy ramp setup is a distinctly redneck way of trying to transport the car; not to mention the fact that there aren't any tie-downs to keep the car from moving around.
Frankly, we have very little sympathy for these people. Doing things on the cheap rarely works out, and hopefully this is a painful and expensive lesson to prove that point. Besides, the car is really ugly.
Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has given a look at the direction Honda will be taking in the coming years, putting strong emphasis on small cars and hybrids. At his annual mid-year speech, Ito gave a rough outline of the Japanese automaker's future direction, while dropping a few important notes about new products.
Two important new hybrids will join the automaker's lineup: a revised Civic Hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The Civic Hybrid (which will be the only version of the Civic Honda plans to sell in Japan in the future) will toss its conventional nickle metal hydride battery for a more advanced lithium ion unit, that will be more powerful and more compact. That model is set to debut in 2012 in both the U.S. and Japan.
That same year Honda also intends to bring a plug-in hybrid model to market, as well as a battery-electric "commuter vehicle." It's not yet clear if the plug-in hybrid will be a version of the Civic Hybrid, or perhaps a version of the Insight or CR-Z.
In addition, Honda will expand its hybrid lineup with a long list of small cars, many of which are also tipped to include hybrid drivetrains. The first of these will be the Fit Hybrid, which is set to debut this Fall – possibly at the Paris Auto Show.
Honda is expected to stick with it's IMA (Integrated Motor... [Read More]
Along with building high revving engines, Honda is also well known for building cars that are fun to drive, which is part of the reason why journalists universally panned the Insight hybrid. The suspension on the Insight was more up to Toyota standards than Honda ones and so Honda has decided to rectify the situation – in the UK at least.
Recently announced updates for the 2011 Insight in England include changes to the recoil rate of the springs, new rear camber angles and modifications to the rear suspension brace. Honda claims the changes will, "deliver improved ride, handling and stability".
Inside upgrades include higher quality trim and new chrome and silver surrounds.
It's not yet clear if Honda plans to announce these same changes for 2011 Insights in the U.S.
Interestingly, no fuel economy improvements have been made to help the Insight edge closer to Toyota's Prius.
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