Birchwood Honda West Blog

TORONTO (January 8, 2009) – Honda Canada Inc. received top honours from ALG as the winner of the “Mainstream Brand Residual Value Award” as part of ALG’s Canadian Residual Value Awards that honour vehicles that are predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price after a conventional retail lease.

Honda was ranked the best overall brand out of 19 mainstream automotive brands in Canada. Acura, the luxury division of Honda Canada Inc., received a second-place award in the Luxury Brand Residual Value category, placing ahead of 11 other luxury brand competitors.The awards are based on 2009 model year vehicles. The awards are derived after carefully studying segment competition, historical vehicle performance and industry trends, and are based on analysis using only Canada-specific data. ALG, based in Santa Barbara, California, provides data and consulting services to the automotive industry and publishes the “Automotive Lease Guide” in both Canada and the U.S.

In addition to winning the overall Mainstream Brand Residual Value Award, Honda Canada also received individual segment awards for the Honda Odyssey (Minivan segment); the new Honda Fit (Entry Compact Car); and the Honda Ridgeline (Compact/Midsize Pickup Truck).

“We are very excited to announce the inaugural Canadian Residual Value Awards,” said John Blair, Chief Executive Officer of ALG. “Honda clearly set itself apart by winning the overall Mainstream award and three segment awards. Honda benefits from its disciplined production, consistent high quality and value pricing, and its shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles has also helped the brand.

“We firmly believe that Residual Value is the best metric for evaluating the overall strength of an automotive brand, and congratulate all of the winners for their successful products and marketing strategies.”

Honda Canada manufactures the Honda Civic sedan and coupe, and the Acura CSX sedan and MDX luxury utility vehicle at its two plants in Alliston, Ontario, and produces fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines at its new engine plant adjacent to its Canadian manufacturing facilities. With 135 manufacturing facilities in 28 countries worldwide, Honda attracts more than 24 million customers annually.

http://www.honda.ca/default#

As seen in: “Birchwood adds Kia dealership to lineup”

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/autos/story/4228113p-4867635c.html

By: Myron Love
Updated: September 19 at 09:15 AM CDT

IF you blink, you’ll miss it. That’s a strong indication of how fast the ‘09 Honda Fit is selling out.

“We received our first shipment (of ‘09 Fit models) just a week and a half ago,” says Birchwood Honda West sales rep Damien Burns, “and by the beginning of this week, we only had a couple left in stock.”

Burns adds that that first delivery was 10 days earlier than originally scheduled because local Honda dealers had sold out the ‘08 models.

The Fit has been on the road in Japan since 2001 but only became available in Canada last year, Burns notes.

The new version has a number of incremental improvements over the ‘08 model, he says. For example, the ‘09 Fit is slightly longer and wider than its predecessor. The IVTEC engine (as compared to the ‘08 model’s VTEC engine) provides 40 miles per gallon in city driving as compared to 37 mpg in the older models. Highway mileage is unchanged. Horsepower is also up slightly for ‘09.

Also new in the ‘09 Fit is a timing chain rather than a timing belt. “You have to change the belt every five years or 100,000 kilometres, or you could ruin your engine,” Burns points out. “The chain is much longer-lasting. And if it goes, you just have to replace it. You don’t have to be concerned about engine damage.”

The new model comes with an ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) body structure better able to absorb impact from different-size vehicles. Burns notes that the body has more rounded edges, giving it a more aerodynamic and less boxy look.

Inside, the side-view mirrors are taller and the pillars in the windshield are thinner. Both features increase visibilty.

Burns notes that there is also more knee room in the back seat and the model has eight cupholders — four in front and four in back.

“The issue today is gas mileage rather than horsepower,” Burns says. “To make the ‘09 Fit lighter, Honda has taken out the spare tire. A tire repair kit is one of the options.”

The new model retails for a base price of $14,980 (not including freight and pdi). Burns notes that is just $70 more than the ‘08 model.

A fresh shipment should be coming in before long, he says.