2001 Honda Civic Lx 5 Speed Manual 2-door Coupe on 2040-cars

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Honda marks 20 million vehicles made in the USA

Japanese automakers manufacturing in the United States is nothing new. But it was in November of 1982 when the first Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, OH. It was the first Japanese vehicle assembled in the US, and in the nearly 32 years since, Honda has made 10 million Accords here for a total of 20 million cars manufactured in America - enough to span from New York to San Francisco twenty times. It's that double landmark which Honda is now celebrating.
Honda has come a long way in those three decades, keeping that original plant in Marysville on line while expanding to three more - in East Liberty, OH; Lincoln, AL; and Greensburg, IN - with a fifth plant (the Performance Manufacturing Center) opening on the same site in Marysville to build the Acura NSX next year. It also builds engines in Lincoln and in Anna, OH, and automatic transmissions at Russells Point, OH, and Tallapoosa, GA.
Between those seven sites, Honda produces 11 different models, including the Accord, Civic, Crosstour, CR-V, Pilot, Odyssey and Ridgeline as well as the Acura ILX, TL, RDX and MDX. Production keeps on ramping up as Honda produced a record 1.3 million vehicles in the US last year, 95 percent of which are sold in the US. Scope out the details in the press release below and click the image above to see it all laid out in a handy infographic.

2015 Honda Fit pricing leak shows slight increases across the board

Pricing for the next-generation 2015 Honda Fit has has been circulating online after a poster going by the username ChrisAP1 on tlxforums.com released the figures. None of these prices include the destination charge, which was not specified (the outgoing model's charge was $790).
According to the leak, the new Fit is being offered in three trim levels - LX, EX and EX-L. A base LX model with a six-speed manual starts at $15,525, with the new CVT running $800 more at $16,325. All cars come standard with air conditioning, cruise control, keyless entry, Bluetooth and LED taillights.
A six-speed EX will run buyers $17,435 or $18,235 for the automatic. Upgrading to this trim nets buyers a power moonroof, a proximity key, paddle shifters on CVT models, Honda's LaneWatch system, fog lights and a 7-inch touchscreen radio. Finally, the EX-L trim is only available with the CVT for $19,800 or with added navigation for $20,800. It adds heated leather seats, a leather shift knob and steering wheel, plus turn signals in the sideview mirrors.

Honda planning a second Vezel for developing markets

The new Honda Vezel was designed as a global product. Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in November, the compact crossover is already going on sale in Japan, will soon reach Europe and will eventually hit the North American market as well - albeit with a different name and engine lineup. But it won't be sold everywhere.
According to Autocar India, the Vezel was originally earmarked to reach the emerging market on the subcontinent, but the declining value of the rupee has apparently forced Honda to rethink its strategy. Instead, the Japanese automaker is now expected to develop a second compact crossover - one more cost-effective to produce locally - for sale in India and other, nearby developing markets.
The new model would be based on the Brio, a hatchback that's smaller than the Fit (on which the Vezel is based) and built in India, Thailand and Indonesia. Honda has already enlarged the Brio's platform to create the Amaze sedan and Mobilio minivan. Building a crossover on the same platform would reportedly require some re-engineering - particularly around the wheel wells - but would apparently still be more cost-effective than importing the Vezel.