ANN ARBOR, Michigan, Aug. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) today announced a sweeping set of new research programs studying the opportunities and addressing the challenges of emerging vehicle technologies. The eleven projects, launched in partnership with eight leading research institutions in North America, mark the first projects launched under CSRC Next, the Center’s new five-year program that continues to support a safer transition to the future of mobility.

The research projects will focus on the impact of advanced technology on broader road safety trends and the interaction between humans and machines. Specific research challenges include the integration of advanced active safety systems, like automatic emergency braking, and passive systems, human experience design for advanced technology vehicles, driver state detection, and using analytics to help improve the study of naturalistic driving data.

“Autonomous and connected vehicle technologies are only just beginning to transform the transportation landscape,” said Chuck Gulash, Director of CSRC. “By working together with world-renowned institutions and making our results public, we are proud to help realize the promise of advanced mobility solutions and a safe, convenient transportation future.”

Since its launch in 2011, CSRC has launched and completed 44 research projects with 23 partner universities, publishing more than 200 papers and presenting at multiple industry conferences. CSRC projects have made meaningful contributions to auto safety industrywide, including research into human factors on vehicle safety and the efficacy of active and passive safety systems, as well as the collection of driving data and development of new tools to analyze that data.

Launched in January 2017, CSRC Next builds upon the insights gained from the CSRC’s first five years and will direct $35 million towards safety research into advanced vehicle technologies, including both autonomous and connected systems. CSRC Next will continue to support ongoing research programs at the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and Toyota Connected (TC) to help accelerate the development of autonomous and connected driving technologies and services.

CSRC projects will follow four research tracks:

1. The potential integration of advanced active safety systems and passive safety systems, using advanced pre-crash sensors to improve and personalize crash protection;
2. Building research models to help understand and strengthen the driver-vehicle relationship, and to support the social acceptance of advanced vehicle technologies;
3. Studying driver state detection, working to improve mobility using metrics for physiology and health;
4. Applying big data and safety analytics techniques to develop algorithms and tools to study naturalistic driving data.

The full list of new CSRC Next research projects and partners includes:

Media Contacts:
TMNA Corporate Communications

Brian Lyons
469-292-3573
[email protected]

Ming-Jou Chen
469-292-3799
[email protected]

About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.).  Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.  

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com. 

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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America

TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported total July sales of 150,980 Honda and Acura vehicles, driven by the success of core models even as tight supplies of certain products contributed to a slight decrease of 1.2 percent vs. July 2016. Combined sales of Honda and Acura cars were up 1.9 percent on sales of 76,468, while combined trucks decreased 4.2 percent on sales of 74,512. Total Honda Division sales decreased 1.7 percent on sales of 136,803. Honda Division cars gained 2.8 percent with 72,557 vehicles sold in July, and Honda trucks were down 6.2 percent on sales of 64,246 units due mostly to limited inventory. Acura Division sales were up 3.7 percent in July on sales of 14,177 vehicles, with trucks rising 11.3 percent on sales of 10,266 for a new July record, and cars down by 12.2 percent on sales of 3,911 units.

Honda
Well-balanced sales of both cars and trucks were a familiar theme for the Honda Division in July. Despite tight supplies of Odyssey and certain CR-V, Pilot and Ridgeline models, Honda truck sales managed a solid showing against a record July 2016, with HR-V having its best month ever and CR-V surpassing 30,000 units for the month.  Civic and Accord continued to show strength with sales above 30,000 units, with the hot new Civic Type R and Si variants bringing renewed energy to the showroom, helping overall Civic sales to a new July record.

• HR-V set a new all-time monthly record, gaining 32.3 percent on sales of 9,779.
• Civic sales reached 36,683 for a new July record, rising 11.3 percent for the month.
• Accord continued to show strength in July, surpassing 30K sales for the month.

“Honda is the outlier in the industry in that we see solid demand for our products rather than demand for incentives to buy them,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president of the Automobile Division of American Honda. “With models like Civic, Accord, CR-V, HR-V and Odyssey, each number one in their segments in retail sales for the first half of 2017, our position continues to get stronger.”

Acura
Gateway models drove Acura’s success in July, with RDX setting a new July mark to lift Acura trucks to a new record for the month, and ILX gaining 10 percent for the month as Acura’s gateway sports sedan showed a second consecutive monthly increase.  TLX continued to sell well in July with the A-Spec model drawing showroom interest, but tight supplies due to strong sales the past two months limited total TLX sales in July.  

• Acura trucks set new July mark, gaining 11.3 percent on sales of 10,266 vehicles.
• RDX sales set a new July record with a 28.2 percent gain on sales of 5,539.
• ILX sales rose for the second straight month, up 10.1 percent in July on sales of 1,322 units.

“In the face of increased fleet sales in the luxury market we continue to focus on the growing momentum of the Acura brand with retail customers,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president & general manager of the Acura division. “We’re excited with the drawing power of our products and the sales success of our gateway models to millennial buyers shows that our product and marketing direction is beginning to pay dividends.”

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SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Honda today announced the arrival of the 2017 Honda Clarity Electric sedan at select dealerships in California and Oregon. With a competitive introductory lease price of $269 (plus tax) a month for 36 months, the lease terms include an attractive allowance of 20,000 miles per year and 24/7 roadside assistance. The lease, which reflects a federal tax credit built in, requires $1,730 down plus the first month’s lease payment due at signing (not including tax, registration or official fees).¹ In addition, if they apply, California and Oregon customers may qualify for their state’s rebates of $2,500 once they become available.²

The Clarity Electric sedan is powered by a 161-horsepower (120-kilowatt) electric motor producing 221 lb.-ft. of torque and drawing power from a 25.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The vehicle can be fully charged in just over three hours at 240 volts and when using DC fast charging with the SAE Combined Charging System, it can achieve an 80 percent charge in just 30 minutes. The Clarity Electric has an EPA fuel economy rating of 126/103/114 MPGe (city/highway/combined)³ and an EPA range rating of 89 miles on a full charge.³  

The Clarity Electric is part of Honda’s Clarity series, which includes the Clarity Fuel Cell, launched in December 2016, and the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, launching nationally later this year. Clarity is the first ever vehicle series offering customers an array of electrified powertrain choices in one sophisticated, spacious and comprehensively equipped five-passenger sedan. The Clarity series is part of the Honda Electrification Initiative that sees Honda expand the number and types of electrified vehicles in its product lineup. This initiative also includes a new dedicated hybrid car launching next year and the expanded application of Honda’s two-motor hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains to multiple car and light truck models in the future. This initiative contributes to Honda’s intention to have two-thirds of its global automobile sales come from electrified vehicles by 2030. 

Comfortable, Versatile and Smartly Equipped
The 2017 Honda Clarity Electric sedan is geared toward consumers who desire a spacious, comfortable and affordable sedan that suits their daily driving needs. It is offered in a premium Touring trim and is the only affordable 5-passenger EV sedan with all the technology features, safety features and premium features that consumers expect today.

Unique exterior design elements set the aerodynamic Clarity Electric apart from other Clarity models, including a model-exclusive Cobalt Blue Pearl exterior color, along with differentiated front styling, headlights, tail lamps, and unique 18-inch alloy wheel finish. Like other Clarity models, the Clarity Electric has a spacious interior with comfortable seating for five adults and outfitted with premium, environmentally responsible materials, 8-inch Display Audio with Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay™ compatibility, and the Honda Sensing^® suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies.

For More Information
Additional media information, including high-resolution images of the 2017 Honda Clarity Electric, is available at http://hondanews.com/honda-automobiles/channels/Electric.

About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through more than 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot sport/utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan. Honda has been producing automobiles in America for 34 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2016, more than 95 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

¹ Includes down payment with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, registration, license and dealer fees. For well-qualified lessees. Subject to availability to California and Oregon residents on approved credit through Honda Financial Services. Closed end lease for 2017 Honda Clarity Electric for well-qualified lessees. Not all applicants will qualify. No purchase option at lease end. Total monthly payments $9,684. Lessee responsible for maintenance, excessive wear/tear, and 20 cents per mile over 20,000 miles per year. Lease includes Roadside Assistance. Total due at lease signing is $1,999 plus tax and registration and includes first month’s payment and capitalized cost reduction of $1,730. Offer subject to change without notice.

² The Oregon rebate program is anticipated to be operational in 2018, with a waitlist potentially established beforehand; please visit http://www.oregon.gov/deq/aq/programs/Pages/ZEV-Rebate.aspx for more information. The California rebate program is anticipated to be funded for the 2017-2018 budget year; please visit https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng for more information.

³ Based on 2017 model-year EPA ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe and range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, lithium-ion battery pack age/condition and other factors.

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SOURCE Honda