HONDA CASE

Innovation and Technological Development

Innovation and Technological Development

Answer 1).

In the area of conventional vehicles, the Nippon brand unveiled its new edition, third generation Odyssey, a minivan with a clear dynamic, with its low floor favors the centre of gravity. With seating for seven passengers and spacious boot volume, the new generation of Japanese model seeks to open up an important gap in the market in the Americas. Also in this section, Honda unveiled the prototype ASM, a very functional minivan that combines the most advanced technologies with the interior space. The Honda cars relied on batteries, but much of the continuing research effort to develop practical electric cars focused on the use of electricity from fuel cells, which could provide abundant electricity at, it was hoped, low cost, thereby making possible practical electric cars capable of traveling long distances before "refueling." Fuel cells produce electricity by a chemical reaction. Those under development for electric cars typically combine oxygen from air with hydrogen (obtained from, for example, oil, natural gas, or water), yielding water vapor as a nonpolluting by-product. As of the beginning of the 21st century, fuel cells remained quite expensive, and very few fuel-cell cars were in existence.

Much more widespread around the turn of the 21st century were hybrid vehicles, which could not deliver zero emissions but did generally produce fewer emissions and consume less fuel than conventional internal-combustion automobiles. Any vehicle driven by two power sources can be called a hybrid. In the initial years of the 21st century, there appeared growing numbers of hybrids involving some combination of a gasoline or (less often) diesel engine and a battery-powered motor. The battery in such hybrids is recharged by the engine as it runs; electricity is also usually obtained from so-called regenerative braking, using energy released when the vehicle is slowed down. Toyota and Honda introduced the first hybrid cars on the market at the end of the 20th century. Additional models were soon forthcoming from those two Japanese companies, and from automakers based in the U.S. and other countries.

Honda hybrid vehicles (HV) are rushing to expand the assortment. The more power the HV vehicles over the next year representing the company, such as accelerating the development of a minivan. Electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHV) in the meantime make a strategic move to launch next generation car in 2012, pushing the core environmental strategies and HV vehicles so far. Unfortunately, the combined value of price and performance, of Prius resulted positive for Toyota.

Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo said at the press of the month 7, HV its Insight unit sales, is currently being weaned asked about the Toyota Prius concession was. According to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the cumulative January to July this year to about 200,000 Prius, Insight, 6,000 20,000. Armed with a low price from $ 1.89 million, as well as cars like the Prius and the third game was released the same in 2009, attracted the attention of many ...