Recently, Honda has had issues with keeping supply and demand in check with its newest products. Waiting lists for everything from the Civic Si to the Honda Fit have become bones of contention with consumers, and the recently redesigned Honda CR-V was among them earlier this year. Sales of Honda's cute 'ute have been on an upwards trajectory during 2007, with over 167,000 units sold thus far -- a 44-percent jump over the previous year. Analysts contend that buyers who used to flock to the Ford Explorer are now looking at smaller, more fuel-efficient offerings, bolstering sales of the CR-V along with Toyota's RAV4.
Honda is constantly trying to keep a balance between imported and domestically made products, so it's considering doubling the North American production of the CR-V. The move would come at a perfect time, as CR-V sales have officially eclipsed sales of the Explorer, the U.S.'s best selling SUV for 14 years.
As Audi's relentless quest to fill every conceivable automotive niche continues, the folks of the interlocking rings plan to unveil the Q5 at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
According to AutoExpress, the Q5 will share its underpinnings with the recently released A5 and will draw on the styling cues forged by its big brother, the Q7 and the Cross Coupe quattrounveiled in Shanghai. Naturally, the Q5 will get Audi's trademark goatee, along with LED headlamps, all-wheel-drive and a commanding stance. Inside, Audi's entrant into the highly competitive cute 'ute segment will come complete with seating for five and the multi-rail system, originally employed in the A6 Allroad, that prevents parcels from shifting under load.
Power is expected to come in both diesel and gas-powered flavors, possibly including the 4.2-liter FSI V8. Strap a few turbos onto that mill and we may even get a RSQ5. We doubt it, if for no other reason than that badge may be a bit awkward on the boot.
It looks like the age of the traditional body-on-frame SUV is coming to a close for most mainstream customers. While there will continue to be a market for big SUVs like the Tahoe and Expedition for customers who actually need to haul or tow stuff, many customers in the high volume mid-sized segment are realizing they can get by with something a little smaller and lot more fuel efficient.
The Ford Explorer dominated SUV sales charts throughout the 1990s and into the first part of this decade with sales of 445,157 in 2000. In the last couple of years, however, Explorer sales have tanked seeing it drop from first to fourth on the sales charts. Last year ,sales dipped to 179, 229 and the freefall shows no signs of letting up. The numbers are down another twenty-three percent so far this year.
On the flipside, sales of the redesigned Honda CR-V are up forty-two percent so far this year and it has jumped to the number one spot on the chart followed by the Toyota RAV-4 and Ford Escape, with the new Ford Edge coming on strong as well. The CR-V is doing so well that Honda is having to consider how to increase volume to meet the demand. For the first time, the automaker has started importing extra units from Japan to supplement the main production facility in East Liberty Ohio. Ford has already announced plans to move the Explorer to a unit-body crossover platform, which can't happen soon enough. The only problem will be finding a place to fit into a lineup already filled with the Escape, Edge, Flex and Taurus X.
The base price of the new and greatly improved Vue will come in at $21,395 (with shipping), placing it squarely in the same pricing segment as the Honda CR-V ($21,195) and Toyota RAV4 ($21,595).
According to Robert Reuter, GM's chief engineer for compact and crossover vehicles, the price increase is justified, consider that the new model gets a larger, 169 HP 2.4-liter inline four and an automatic transmission, where before a manual used to reside. Additionally, 16-inch wheels are included, along with a bevy of standard safety equipment including ABS, collapsible pedals, side curtain airbags and stability control.
Since the new pricing puts the Vue up against some of the biggest players in the burgeoning crossover segment, it should be interesting to see how well Saturn's second highest selling model will fare when it's thrust into the marketplace.
In 2008, 50,000 CR-Vs will be cranked out of Honda's assembly plant in Guadalajara, Mexico. Currently, the plant is used to build Accord sedans, to the tune of about 30k per year, but when CR-V production begins, they'll be no more hecho en Mexico Accords finding their way north. Instead, production of Honda's midsize sedan will move to their plant in Marysville, Ohio.
The move, which reportedly cost Honda over $8 million in upgrades, is due to a high level of demand for the 'lil 'ute in the U.S. that isn't being met by the automaker's plant in East Liberty, Ohio.
Of the 50,000 CR-Vs to be produced annually, half will head into the States, while the rest will remain south of the border. The production shift will begin this fall.
Some cloaked shots of the production version of Ford's newest cute ute have surfaced. First shown as the iosis-X concept in Paris, this C-segment crossover features that same "kinetic design language" we see in Ford of Europe's S-MAX and C-MAX, in a size that slots between the two. This small crossover would compete head-to-head with the Toyota RAV-4 and Honda CR-V, among others.
Just when we thought the CUV/SUV market couldn't get any more crowded, this would be the eleventieth UV in the Ford lineup alone. But it's a looker, this one. Using spy photos of a heavily disguised prototype, the artist created a rendering that looks athletic and stylish but functional, sort of like a scaled down Mazda CX-7, which is a good thing. Our previous spy shots of this productionized iosis-X looked markedly different, but it's likely the older pics were of a test mule. As this vehicle gets closer to it's early 2008 launch and Frankfurt debut, the shape seems to be taking its final, more stylish form.
Honda's new CR-V has been growing on us ever since it came out. It's by no means a pretty vehicle, but you have to give it credit for wearing its quirkiness with pride. Considering how similar some of the other small CUVs on the market look (think RAV4, Santa Fe), the choice to go with unique styling may pay dividends long-term, as you'll always be able to pick the Honda out from the crowd. (Well, that and the fact the "H" badge on the grille speaks more powerfully to some buyers than the car's styling itself.)
Things got better (a lot better) when Mugen released its full suite of aftermarket bits for the CR-V, and now Honda's getting into the game with its own factory sport kit. It consists of new grille inserts, aero bumper covers, running boards, a roof spoiler, sport suspension and a set of 19" five-spoke alloys. The result? Well, it's pretty cool, and between this and the Mugen kit, it's clear that the new CR-V can have a lot more curb appeal if you're willing to spend some additional cash.
When the CR-V first debuted we thought it would honestly be the ugliest vehicle of the year. Surprisingly, it's growing on us (except that damn D-pillar!), and the CR-V Sport Concept is the best we've seen it look to date. Of course, it helps that Honda unloaded the entire contents of itsonda Access accessories catalogue on the CUV, adding new front and rear bumpers, attractive 19-inch wheels and a suspension package that lowers the vehicle. Still, it shows the CR-V has a bit of potential, though it won't be winning our beauty pageant this year.
Check out more angles of the CR-V Sport Concept after the jump and see if you agree.
Some of us have bemoaned the new styling of the Honda CR-V, which is why it's no surprise that the aftermarket has already stepped up to address our concerns. When you think of Honda tuning, you should think of Mugen (if you play Gran Turismo at all), and it's no surprise this Japanese tuning house is the first one to try and beat the ugly out of the new CR-V. Mugen today announced a whole catalogue of aftermarket appearance parts for the new CR-V that includes a front spoiler with integrated day/night lamps, a sports grille, a lower rear spoiler that integrates dual, center-mounted exhaust tips (!), a wing spoiler (pass, too much) and Mugen 19-inch TT wheels. The total effect is shocking and surely even more polarizing than an unadorned CR-V, but the consensus around the Autoblog office is positive. Now if Mugen could just fix that D-pillar we'd be happy.
Honda's new CR-V is all about satisfying your CRaVings, or so we're all about to be told. Rubin Postaer & Associates (RPA) is behind the new sport ute's $50 million advertising push, which lauches September 28. The ads draw upon the animation and fun reminiscent of Civic and Fit commercials, showing how the CR-V can help satisfy cravings for things like coffee and the beach.
In the beach commercial, the CR-V "tans" into each of its various available exterior colors. While in the coffee commercial, the CR-V becomes a big mug of coffee. Yum. The commercials end with the tagline, "Something new to crave. Presenting the all-new CR-V from Honda."
Look for Honda's "CRaVe" campaign in broadcast commercials, billboards, in movie theaters and on Honda's web site near the end of the month. You have until then to develop a CRaVing.
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