2012 Honda Cr-v Ex-l on 2040-cars

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Honda spinning off Acura as stand-alone division in bid to wake up brand

Every major automaker has a different way of relating between its various divisions and brands. At Volkswagen, for example, the individual brands seem to operate with a large degree of autonomy. Under the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the two units share a common chief executive, but little else. The relationship between Honda and its luxury division Acura has always been rather close, but that's all about to change.
American Honda Motor Company has always handled sales and marketing in the North American market for both the Honda and Acura divisions, but new reorganization plans call for the two units to be separated under their own direction. Leading the Acura division will be Michael Accavitti, who moves into the position from his role as Senior Vice President for Auto Operations at American Honda. The Honda division will meanwhile be taken over by the current head of Acura sales, Jeff Conrad.
Both will report to John Mendel, the current executive vice president of the Automobile Sales Division that is being rebranded as the American Honda Auto Division. Unlike rivals Lexus and Infiniti - two brands that Acura beat to the market - Honda barely markets its luxury brand outside of North America. Its overseas presence is felt only in China, though we've yet to receive word on how the reorganization might effect that market - or for that matter, any potential of expanding into others.

Recharge Wrap-up: Elon Musk in Reddit AMA; Honda releases annual environmental report

Elon Musk will answer questions in a Reddit AMA tonight. The "Ask Me Anything" event will begin at 9:00 pm EST, and will last one hour. Musk will answer as many reader questions as he can in the allotted amount of time. Reddit's /r/TeslaMotors board is selecting official questions from users to pose to Musk as well. If you have any aching inquiries for the CEO of Tesla and Spacex, you probably don't want to miss this. Read more at Clean Technica, or at Reddit. Powertree Services plans to build solar-powered EV charging at San Francisco apartment buildings. The group will rent parking spaces at apartment buildings and put solar panels on the roof. Tenants with EVs can pay a monthly fee to charge their cars at their own apartments and Powertree Services parking spots around town. It takes the responsibility of building and maintaining the chargers off the building owners, but provides them with some revenue from renting the space to Powertree. Read more at Treehugger. The market for environmentally friendly cars will remain strong despite cheap oil prices, according to IHS Automotive Advisory Services. James Chao, director of the company's Asia-Pacific region, says his clients are still very focused on fuel economy. IHS has predicted green car production to triple by 2020 from 2014 figures. Hyundai and Kia, who are clients of Chao, have new EVs, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles on the way - a seemingly "unfocused" plan that Chao defends. "Especially at times when uncertainty is dominant, it could well be referred to as being prudent," he says. Read more at The Korea Herald. Honda has released its annual North American Environmental Report. In the report, Honda notes environmental progress it has made over the last year in a number of areas. It points out the introduction of the 2014 Accord Hybrid and the FCV Concept. It enumerates reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in transportation, use of its products and even from Honda's suppliers (however, there was a 0.7 percent rise in CO2 emissions during manufacturing due to, or rather "despite a significant increase in production"). Honda is using less water, and producing less waste - only 0.8 kilograms are sent to the landfill per car manufactured. Honda also worked with SolarCity to get solar panels on 1,650 rooftops in the US. Read more on Honda's website. Marco Andretti will race in the Formula E Buenos Aires ePrix.

Honda recalls small number of 2016 CR-V models for airbags

Thought you'd heard the last bit of news regarding exploding airbags from Takata? Think again. Honda has issued a recall for the 2016 CR-V to replace driver-side front airbag modules. Fortunately, only 515 vehicles are covered by this recall, and only 30 affected models were actually in the hands of consumers. And, if you own a 2016 CR-V and haven't gotten a phone call from Honda, you're apparently in the clear. On October 10, 2015, an airbag inflator made by Takata ruptured in Monclova, Mexico, while being tested. Two days later, Takata notified Honda and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, prompting this recall. According to Honda's official announcement, though, this faulty inflator is not believed to be the same issue that caused automakers around the globe to recall 19.2 million (and counting) vehicles to replace defective airbag modules that were also made by Takata. Whether that's comforting or not, we'll let you decide. We've included both the official recall notice from NHTSA and the statement from Honda below. Here's hoping the faulty inflator that caused this recall was nothing more than a single defective part. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Driver Side Air Bag Inflator may Rupture Report Receipt Date: OCT 29, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V714000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) SUMMARY: American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CR-V vehicles manufactured October 12, 2015, to October 19, 2015. The metal housing surrounding the driver's air bag inflator in these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly. CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. REMEDY: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 4, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda'a number for this recall is JV9. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Statement by American Honda Regarding Driver Front Airbag Module Recall: 2016 Honda CR-V Oct 30, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif.