New Styles From Old Town
Honda's Latest Design Studio Will Be Its Third in California.
In December, Honda R&D Americas opened the doors to the Advanced Design studio in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. Mixed between the J. Crews and the Banana Republics, the design studio will focus on design concepts and creating concept cars for Honda and Acura. "This new advanced studio that takes a longer view focused on advanced design concepts that will guide the future of both of these brands," explained Hirohide Ikeno, the president of Honda R&D Americas. It is the third Honda design studio in California and the second to pop up in the span of a year. The Acura Design Center, which will focus on Acura designs and market research, broke ground in March and is scheduled to open this summer.
Splash and Dash
Rad! The Honda Ski Tour is back in action. January 11 was the official kick-off date as the Ski Tour hit Sun Valley in Idaho. From there, the tour travels to Breckenridge and Aspen in Colorado and Squaw Valley in California. Each stop features radical ski racing, freeride competitions and live music. Winners receive a 2007 Honda Element. Musical artists will include Sean Paul, Gomez, Hinder and more. Each stop will be televised. For more information, check out theskitour.com. Super rad!
Laguna Seca Raceway in California was the scene of the Honda FCX Concept's driving debut. The FCX Concept is Honda's Next-Generation Fuel Cell vehicle and features a newly developed compact, high-efficiency Honda FC Stack as well as a low-floor, low-riding, short-nose body. Limited marketing of a totally new fuel cell vehicle based on this concept model is to begin in 2008 in Japan and the U.S.
Sales of the first wheelchair-accessible Honda Odysseys have begun. The VMI Northstar conversion alters the Odyssey by lowering the floor 11-inches and installing a powered in-floor ramp with non-skid surface for easy ingress and egress (yes, again). The patented PowerKneel System automatically lowers the Odyssey to decrease the ramp incline. VMI purchases the vehicles from Honda, and then modifies them on a new assembly line at its Phoenix-based facility.