Honda Civic still tops the list of thieves’ favorite vehicles to steal in Canada that is according to the list compiled by the Insurance Bureau of Canada. The 1999 and 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door tops the Top 10 List of Cars Stolen in Canada for the third year in a row.

Coming in third place is the 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door all-wheel-drive while the fourth place goes to the 1999 Acura Integra 2-door with high quality Acura Integra starter followed by three Dodge vehicles.

Here is the list of the top 10 cars frequently stolen in Canada based on the Insurance Bureau of Canada:

1. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
3. 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door AWD
4. 1999 Acura Integra 2-door
5. 1994 Dodge/Plymouth Grand Caravan/Voyager
6. 1994 Dodge/Plymouth Grand Caravan/Voyager AWD
7. 1994 Dodge/Plymouth Caravan/Voyager
8. 1998 Acura Integra 2-door
9. 2000 Audi TT Quattro 2-door Coupe
10. 1994 Dodge/Plymouth Shadow/Sundance 2-door Hatchback

 

Honda the producer of high quality Acura Integra fog light is really living up to its quality motto when it tops the British survey of used car reliability for the third year in a row that is according to its Qatar distributor. Doha Marketing Services Company or Domasco in short said that Honda has taken six out of the 10 vehicles included in the top 10 list of the British publication What Car?

This annual survey is conducted in association with the independent British warranty provider Warranty Direct that have analyzed data gathered from over 35,000 vehicles involving 26 manufacturers and 133 different models and calculating the average number of faults per 100 cars manufactured.

The Honda CR-V is in the second place and recorded only five faults per 100 cars. The other five models awarded include:

•    Honda HR-V (1999-2005)—third place
•    Honda S2000 (1999-2005)—fifth place
•    Honda Civic (1996-2001)—seventh place
•    Honda Accord (1999-2003)—eighth place
•    Honda Civic (2001-2005)—ninth place

If there’s the reliable list there is also the least reliable list that revealed 97 faults per 100 cars. Warranty Direct managing director Duncan McClure Fisher said that the data only proves that being expensive doesn’t necessarily imply quality and reliability as a fact "The more mechanically and electronically complicated a vehicle, especially if it’s of European origin, the more likely you are to suffer problems."

Greig Roffrey, Domasco’s Honda sales and marketing manager also said, "The What Car? study clearly reveals the superior quality of Honda cars. It highlights that even a 10-year-old Honda had less faults than many other brand new cars."

In Qatar, Domasco has reported an amazing response for the recently launched new Honda Legend and the all new Honda Accord.

The Legend was introduced in Qatar in mid-2007 and boosts the sales of the Honda brand in the high performance luxury market with the combination of build, performance, technology and sophistication.

The all-new Accord sedan is redesigned for 2008 and is equipped with the most powerful and advanced technologies coupled with an unprecedented level of sophisticated engineering ever provided in the history of the model.

 

The city of Bologna will be the venue for the Italy’s annual motor show and the star is the all-new Hyundai i10 city car. It possesses stylish looks, high level of equipment and low running costs. The demand for this type of model in Italy is high especially with small vehicles taking 60 percent of the market.

In Britain the demand for Hyundai’s new model car is expected to soar doubling the sales of its predecessor, the Amica.

The i10 city car is practical, affordable and fun to drive. It is also unique in its class due to the fact that it includes air conditioning as a standard feature in all its versions. Its dimensions measures 3,565mm long and 1,595mm wide makes it easy for this vehicle to thread through city traffic and to fit in tight parking spaces.

The wheelbase of the i10 measures 2,380mm and considered to be the longest in the class. With the wheels pushed far into each corner more space is provided inside for people and luggage. Its 910 liters of total boot space with seats down provides even more space than the acclaimed superminis.

And compared to its competitors the i10 is a full five seater with same five-door practicality. The price starts at under £6,500 despite such low cost i10 owners will not feel as if they are driving a really cheap car due to the features equipped on the vehicle that includes air conditioning, electric windows, central locking, electric power steering, tinted glass, 14-inch wheels, body coloured bumpers and an integrated six-speaker CD/MP3 stereo.

In terms of safety features the i10 is equipped with four airbags that comes with a passenger side cut-off switch. All i10 models will be equipped with a 67PS, 1.1 liter petrol engine mated to either a manual or an automatic gearbox. To improve the vehicle’s ergonomics and to create an extra space between the driver and the passenger seat the gearshift was mounted in the center console.  

The manual versions of the i10 has an average fuel consumption of around 60 mpg and produce 119g/km of CO2 qualifying for the VED tax disc rate of £35 a year plus exemption from the new London Congestion Charge proposals that would be implemented in February. The i10 will also be covered by the same five year, unlimited mileage warranty provided for all Hyundai cars.

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Mitsubishi one of the archrivals of Honda the producer of high quality Acura CSX air filter has stage the world premier of its Concept-RA at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIS). This new concept vehicle combines three elements of the automaker’s core DNA—the passion for dynamic driving, stunning design, and a high level of sensitivity for the environment—attributed to its clean, efficient high performance diesel power.

The Concept-RA features the S-AWC(2) vehicle dynamics control system driveline and the Twin Clutch SST used in the Lancer Evolution X(3) and powered by a new efficient high output producing clean diesel engine.

The RA’s S-AWC driveline provides Active Steering and Active Suspension control to the ACD(4), AYC(5), Sport ABS(6), and ASC(7) component systems that makes up the system used on the Lancer Evolution X.  Moreover the S-AWC also internally manages all of these systems to produce an advanced level of control to drive additional torque and braking power thereby upgrading traction, cornering, and vehicle stability.

Power and performance are provided by the RA’s high-efficient, low emission 2.2 liter 4 cylinder DOHC 16 valve turbo diesel engine with MIVEC(8) which is a continuously variable valve lift and timing control. Its piezoelectric injector common-rail direct fuel injection and Variable Diffuser/Variable Geometry turbocharger, the clean diesel unit delivers a maximum output of 150kW and a maximum torque of 420Nm.

And in compliance with the emission standards in the US, the RA makes use of an engine that utilizes a new catalytic converter system that brings together diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), NOx trap catalyst (NTC), and diesel particulate filter (DPF) technologies.

To improve crashworthiness and to reduce weight, the RA will feature a new body structure using an aluminium space frame made from extruded aluminium sections and die cast aluminium members including engine bonnet, bumpers, and other outer panels made from high impact-resistant and easy to recycle plastic resin.

 

Toyota has again proven that it’s the leader when it comes to customer service when it ranks highest in satisfying dealers for the 13th consecutive year basing on the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 Dealer Attitude StudySM that was released recently.

The said study measures dealer satisfaction with vehicle manufacturer or importers and determines dealer attitudes toward the automotive sales business. The overall satisfaction is based on eight factors: product attractiveness (31%); responsiveness to dealers (21%); sales support (13%); service relations (12%); warranty (6%); sales representatives (6%); vehicle ordering system (6%); and parts (5%).

Base on the study it was found out that the overall dealer satisfaction with vehicle manufacturers and importers has declined across the industry to 97 index points this year and down by 2 points as compared to 2006.

The decrease is attributed by declines in two of the most influential factors that affect dealer satisfaction and these are product attractiveness and responsiveness to dealers. Particularly, dealers are less satisfied with the supply of high-demand vehicles and the location of similarly with franchised dealers.

Overall satisfaction among Japanese domestic car dealerships has dropped by 2 points while dealer satisfaction for imported car dealerships has remained stable since 2006. The drop in the sales in the Japanese domestic market is caused by the closing and consolidation of distribution channels focusing on domestic vehicles.

For the past 13 years Toyota with 133 points has ranked highest in satisfying dealers. Next to Toyota is Mazda with an overall index score of 107. other automakers followed: Nissan with 96 points, Honda the producer of high quality Acura CL master cylinder with 92 points and Mitsubishi with 84 points.

The study also determines the dealer satisfaction in terms of profitability within the Japanese auto industry by measuring the number of dealers that say they are satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the overall standing of their business operations. For this year around 28 percent of dealers said that they are satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the profitability for the year. The number of satisfied dealers is down by 2 percent compared with the 30 percent reported satisfied dealers in 2006. Moreover, satisfaction with the five-year profitability has dropped significantly for 2007 and down by 3 percentage points from 2006 to only 33 percent in 2007.

The 2007 Japan Dealer Attitude Study is based on the gathered responses from 414 dealerships for 528 automotive franchises. The survey was carried out through mail between July and October 2007.

Just recently three big companies in their respective field have announced a collaborative effort that would give birth to a new company in China.  General Motors together with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) and OnStar has formed a joint venture called the Shanghai OnStar Telematics Company Limited. This is the first time in the 11 year history of OnStar to venture outside of North America.

The Shanghai OnStar Telematics Company Limited will provide a range of trademark in-vehicle safety, security, as well as communication services that are similar to those offered in United States and Canada. Other services will include advanced automatic crash notification, roadside assistance, remote door unlock, hands-free calling, vehicle diagnostics, and of course the turn-by-turn navigation.

The Shanghai OnStar Telematics Company Limited is scheduled to start its operation in 2009 and will service vehicles manufactured and distributed by Shanghai GM.

General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry each owned 40 percent of Shanghai OnStar Telematics while Shanghai GM, a 50/50 joint venture of GM and SAIC owns the remaining 20 percent. The partners signed the official venture of GM and SAIC during the Shanghai visit of GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner last October 27.