2012 Honda Odyssey Ex-l Mini Passenger Van 4-door 3.5l Salvage Tilte Mv907a on 2040-cars

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Honda reports $2.3 billion profit despite pandemic

TOKYO — Japanese automaker Honda reported Friday that its profit rose 23% in the last quarter, despite a pandemic that has slammed businesses around the world. Tokyo-based Honda said its July-September profit was 240.9 billion yen ($2.3 billion), up from 196.5 billion yen a year earlier, as the auto market recovered in some parts of the world. Honda said it carried out aggressive cost cuts that involved a “fundamental review” of its operations. The situation was also improving from earlier this year, when lockdowns and other problems related to COVID-19 caused disruptions of some production and an inventory crunch. Quarterly sales slipped to 3.65 trillion yen ($35 billion) from 3.73 trillion yen the same period a year earlier. Honda warned that uncertainty remains amid rising COVID-19 cases. But the company stressed it was managing to cling to profitability. Reflecting that upbeat mood, Honda raised its profit forecast for the fiscal year through March 2021 to 390 billion yen ($3.8 billion) from an earlier projection for 165 billion yen ($1.6 billion). The latest forecast is still lower than the 455.7 billion yen profit Honda booked in the previous fiscal year. Honda sold slightly more vehicles in the quarter through September at 1.25 million vehicles, compared to 1.24 million vehicles in the same period of 2019. But it sold fewer motorcycles at nearly 4.5 million motorcycles, down from nearly 5.1 million. Kohei Takeuchi, a senior Honda manager, said much of the damage to sales likely came from the pandemic, though he hesitated to blame the entire decline on the pandemic. Executive Vice President Seiji Kuraishi told reporters Honda is bullish on shifting its lineup to ecological models to keep up with the global efforts to curb carbon emissions and global warming. Also Friday, Toyota raised its full year fiscal forecasts to a 1.4 trillion yen ($13.5 billion) profit, after reporting results that appear to show a gradual but sure recovery. Its profit fell 11% in the last quarter. Nissan reports financial results next week. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Acura Honda

Honda Clarity goes on sale in Japan, but only 200 units a year

Honda has officially started leasing its Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to select customers in Japan, and the sedan should arrive at a few dealers in California late in the year. Once the model is available in the US, expect the Clarity to be the natural challenger to the Toyota Mirai FCEV. The Clarity boasts an electric motor with 174 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. In Japan's JC08 test, Honda claims the sedan can travel the equivalent of 466 miles, but that evaluation is more lenient than its US equivalent. The automakers expects the sedan to receive an EPA-estimated driving distance of over 300 miles. Prices in Japan begin at the current equivalent of $67,800. However, examples here should retail for around $60,000 and lease for under $500 a month. The Toyota Mirai is similar to the Clarity in major categories, including an EPA range of 312 miles and leases for $499 a month. The two of them should have quite a fight. Honda plans to limit Clarity production to 200 units in Japan for the first year, and only government agencies or businesses can lease them there. After the company collects impressions from these clients, it intends to make the sedan available to individuals. The decision only to lease the Clarity at first evokes the early days at of electric vehicles when companies like General Motors used the strategy to get the EV1 to customers. One thing that could give Honda the edge in the upcoming hydrogen fuel cell battle is its history in the market. The company first offered them with the FCX and later followed up with the FCX Clarity. By this point, the automaker should be well acquainted with the process. Related Video: Honda Begins Sales of All-new Clarity Fuel Cell - Clarity Fuel Cell realizes the world's top-class cruising range among zero emission vehicles of approximately 750 km - TOKYO, Japan, March 10, 2016 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today began sales in Japan of its all-new fuel cell vehicle (FCV), the Clarity Fuel Cell. Striving to realize full-fledged popularization of FCVs, Honda created Clarity Fuel Cell as an FCV featuring both a high level of practicality that represents the "universal value" of an automobile and "cutting-edge appeal" that is suitable for a vehicle that is at the forefront of the times. Clarity Fuel Cell is the world's first*1 five-passenger sedan type FCV, realized by making the fuel cell powertrain more compact using original Honda technologies and fitting it entirely under the hood of the car.

Honda stretches new Shuttle to Fit the Japanese market

While the Honda Odyssey that we get here in North America may be getting bigger with each passing generation, the minivans Honda offers in its home market are still pretty small. Like the new Shuttle. Set to be unveiled in full next month, the new Shuttle is a compact minivan that looks like a longer version of the Fit hatchback we get over here. In fact previous versions were marketed as the Fit Shuttle, but the little hatchback's handle seems to have been dropped from this latest model. It's still a five-seater, but with extra cargo capacity including under-floor storage, all in a compact, Tokyo-friendly form. It's not as small as a Kei car – the miniature vehicle segment which Honda covers with its N series – but would likely be far too small to suit the typical American family. Technical details are still forthcoming, but the new Shuttle will be available with a 1.5-liter direct-injection inline-four or a hybrid powertrain, just like the Fit. But unlike the little hatchback we know, it will also be available with all-wheel drive.