TOKYO, Dec. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Honda R&D Co., Ltd., the R&D subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., announced today that it is entering into formal discussions with Waymo, an independent company of Alphabet Inc., to integrate its self-driving technology with Honda vehicles. This technical collaboration between Honda researchers and Waymo’s self-driving technology team would allow both companies to learn about the integration of Waymo’s fully self-driving sensors, software and computing platform into Honda vehicles.

As part of the discussion on technical collaboration, Honda could initially provide Waymo with vehicles modified to accommodate Waymo’s self-driving technology. These vehicles would join Waymo’s existing fleet, which are currently being tested across four U.S. cities.

If both parties agree to enter into a formal agreement, Honda R&D engineers based in Silicon Valley, California and Tochigi, Japan, would work closely with Waymo engineers based in Mountain View, California and Novi, Michigan.

Honda previously announced its intention to put production vehicles with automated driving capabilities on highways sometime around 2020 related to its goal of a collision-free society.  In addition to these on-going efforts, this technical collaboration with Waymo could allow Honda R&D to explore a different technological approach to bring fully self-driving technology to market. These discussions are an initial step that will allow Waymo and Honda R&D to further explore the potential of a broad range of automated driving technologies.

About Honda R&D Co, Ltd.
Honda R&D Co., Ltd. is an independent subsidiary company of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and serves as Honda’s primary research and development organization for the company’s automobile, motorcycle, power products and aviation products. Based on over half a century of accumulated engineering expertise, Honda R&D seeks to actively lead the way through new technologies and resources to define the future of mobility. Honda R&D is playing a central role in the development of Honda’s automated driving technologies, with responsibility for the entire process from fundamental research to product development. For more information, please visit: http://world.honda.com/RandD/

About HSVL
The Honda Silicon Valley Lab (HSVL) is a division of Honda R&D Americas, Inc., the North American research and development subsidiary of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. HSVL was established in May 2011 in Mountain View, Calif. as an open innovation lab for global Honda, focused on information technology. HSVL interfaces with a broad spectrum of IT innovators, from large, well established companies to small startup firms and individuals. This technical collaboration with Waymo is a part of its role.  For more information, please visit: http://www.hondasvl.com

About Waymo
Waymo is a self-driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to move around. We’re determined to improve transportation for people around the world, building on software and sensor technology developed in Google’s labs since 2009. In October 2015, we achieved the world’s first fully self-driving trip on public roads, in a car without a steering wheel or pedals. We refine Waymo technology through one billion miles of simulation testing each year, and our cars have self-driven over two million miles on public roads across four U.S. cities.

SANTA CLARITA, California, Dec. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The two-car Michael Shank Racing effort in the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will feature striking “mirror image” black, grey and white graphics on the team’s pair of Acura NSX GT3 entries. 

The #86 car, commemorating Acura’s 30^th anniversary since its establishment in 1986, will have a black nose, fading to a grey cross hatch pattern before giving way to white at the rear.  The #93 team car, representing 1993, the year HPD was founded, will reverse the color pattern, with a white front end transitioning to a black rear deck.

Acura’s rich heritage of success in sports car racing is reflected in the design.  Splashes of orange, a traditional color for Acura Motorsports dating to the company’s first era of IMSA competition in the 1990s, and green, indicating that the cars are GT Daytona class entries, complete the graphic package on both cars.

“The debut of the Acura NSX GT3 at the prestigious Rolex 24 will mark the return of the Acura brand to IMSA sports car competition,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development (HPD) and Acura Motorsports. “We’ve aimed to race the NSX in North America since the car was just a sketch on paper, and we couldn’t be more excited than to debut at Daytona.”

MSR team principal Michael Shank has also revealed the driver lineups for each of the team’s two Acura NSX GT3 racers. 

Second-generation racer and IndyCar Series race winner Graham Rahal will join series regulars Andy Lally and Katherine Legge in the #93 NSX GT3, joined by endurance racer Mark Wilkins. 

The team’s #86 Acura will feature Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay alongside full-season drivers Jeff Segal and Oswaldo “Ozz” Negri, Jr.; with Tom Dyer completing the endurance race lineup.

All eight drivers will take part in the January 6-8 “Roar Before the 24,” IMSA series open test prior to January 28-29 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, the opening round of the 12-race 2017 WeatherTech Championship.

About the Acura NSX

Created to bring a new sports experience to the supercar segment, the next-generation Acura NSX challenges conventional beliefs about supercars, with cutting-edge and world-first technologies. Much as the first generation NSX did a quarter century ago, the 2017 NSX breaks the mold through a first-of-its-kind Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive^™ power unit, a multi-material body structure, advanced aerodynamics and a cockpit that supports performance driving on every level without sacrificing comfort. The 2017 Acura NSX is the only supercar designed, developed and manufactured in the U.S. with production exclusively at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohioⁱ.

About Acura

Acura is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, an original approach to technology and design that creates a new driving experience. On March 27, 2016, Acura celebrated the 30th anniversary of its launch as the first luxury nameplate from a Japanese automaker.

The Acura lineup features six distinctive models – the RLX premium, luxury sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the 5-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, and the seven-passenger Acura MDX, America’s all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV. This spring, Acura launched its next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a new and pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance.

For More Information

Consumer information is available at http://www.acura.com. To join the Acura community on Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/acura. Additional media information including pricing, features and high-resolution photography is available at acuranews.com/channels/acura-automobiles.

ⁱ Assembled in the U.S. using domestically and globally sourced parts

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TORRANCE, California, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — With just more than a week remaining in 2016, Honda is assured of having the #1 and #2 best-selling cars, the #1 SUV and #1 minivan in America with individual car buyers, the company announced today. American Honda, including the Honda and Acura brands, is the fastest growing automaker¹ in the U.S. in retail sales, according to data from Automotive News.

Highlights of Honda’s projected year-end retail-sales achievements:

• Civic will post the all-time best sales performance in its 44-year history, making Civic America’s best-selling car with individual car buyers.
• Accord will post a fourth straight year of retail sales leadership among midsize cars.
• CR-V will post a seventh straight year of sales gains and further cement its position as America’s best-selling SUV over the past 21 years.
• Odyssey will be the best-selling minivan with retail buyers for a seventh straight year.
• Civic, CR-V and Accord will be the three highest retail-selling vehicles in the auto industry after full-size pickups and will combine for sales of more than 1 million units for the fifth straight year in 2016.

“We want to thank our customers for the trust they’ve placed in Honda, which is the basis for everything we do,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division.  “Retail sales are the results of customers voting with their wallets and pocketbooks, and we think that’s the only true measure of customer demand and product appeal.”

Total Honda Division sales are up 4.5 percent through the end of November to 1,333,253 Honda cars and light trucks, as the brand prepares to post a third straight year of record sales.  Honda will continue its momentum into the new year as the strong cadence of new models continues in 2017 with the launch of a redesigned Odyssey; the Si Coupe, Si Sedan and Type R variants of the tenth-generation Civic; and the introduction of the Clarity Battery Electric and Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and more.

About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic and Accord passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot sport/utility vehicles, Ridgeline pickup truck 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 2015, more than 99 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

¹ Automotive News Data Center. Based on CYTD November year-over-year retail sales for top seven automakers.

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TORRANCE, California, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Customer deliveries of Honda’s third-generation fuel cell vehicle, the 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, began today at select Honda dealerships across Southern California. Honda customers leasing the new Clarity Fuel Cell will enjoy all the benefits of driving the most advanced zero-emissions vehicle on the road today, including its ultra-low carbon footprint, comfortable seating for five, and $15,000 worth of hydrogen fuel. In addition, the Clarity Fuel Cell has the highest EPA driving range rating of any zero-emission vehicle in America, including fuel cell and battery electric vehicles, with a 366 mile range and fuel economy rating of 68 combined MPGe (miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent).¹

“The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell has arrived as the next big leap forward in electric drive mobility, with next-generation style, fun-to-drive performance and customer comfort,” said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “In the year ahead, we will continue the rollout of the new Clarity series of electrified vehicles, to include battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models.”

Retail leasing of the Clarity Fuel Cell is now available through Honda’s expanded network of 12 approved dealerships located in select California markets, including six dealerships in Southern California, five in the Bay Area, and one in Sacramento. Honda will further develop its fuel cell vehicle dealer network as the network of public hydrogen fueling stations expands across the state.

The Clarity Fuel Cell is available for the competitive introductory lease price of $369 a month for 36 months with $2,868 due at signing.² The lease terms include an attractive mileage allowance of 20,000 miles per year, up to $15,000 of hydrogen fuel, up to 21 days of an Avis Luxury Rental in California, 24/7 roadside assistance, and eligibility for California “White Sticker” single occupant HOV access.

The first deliveries of the Clarity Fuel Cell were celebrated on the Torrance, Calif., campus of American Honda Motor Co, Inc., where six Clarity Fuel Cell customers participated in a ceremonial delivery event after leasing their car from one of Honda’s six fuel cell vehicle dealerships in Southern California. The participating dealerships are Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, Culver City Honda, Keyes Woodland Hills Honda, Honda of Pasadena, Norm Reeves Honda in Cerritos, and Norm Reeves Honda in Irvine.

The first six customers of the 2017 Clarity Fuel Cell are previous owners of Honda’s second-generation fuel cell vehicle, the Clarity FCX. These customers have grown with the development and deployment of Honda’s fuel cell vehicles, and have provided feedback of their real-world use of the FCX to influence today’s customer experience of the Clarity Fuel Cell. The customers are:

• Jon Spallino, private securities investor and world’s first fuel cell vehicle individual customer with the 2005 FCX, whose new Clarity Fuel Cell becomes his third Honda fuel cell vehicle
• Jack Cusick, assistant principal of Newport Harbor High School
• Jackie Keller, founder of NutriFit, LLC™ healthy meal services
• Jim Salomon, president at Questar Construction
• Karen Thorp, deputy district attorney for the County of Los Angeles
• Terry Tamminen, CEO of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

Customers interested in the Clarity Fuel Cell are encouraged to visit http://automobiles.honda.com/clarity, where they can receive more information and sign up for the opportunity to become a Clarity Fuel Cell customer.

About the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell
Technological innovations to the Clarity Fuel Cell have created a fuel cell stack that is 33 percent more compact than its predecessor with a 60 percent increase in power density compared to the outgoing Honda FCX Clarity. The more compact fuel cell and integrated powertrain, comparable in size to a V-6 engine, now fits entirely under the hood of the car, allowing for a more spacious cabin with seating for five passengers. The Clarity Fuel Cell features a class-leading driving range rating for zero-emission vehicles with its EPA range rating of 366 miles, with a refueling time of approximately three to five minutes using 70 MPa refueling stations.

As the progression in Honda’s dynamic FCV styling, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell features a low, wide aerodynamic body with clean character lines. The interior achieves a refined and harmonious experience using rich materials and intuitive, streamlined controls. Additional features include the Honda Sensing™ suite of safety and driver assistive technologies, Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ for smartphone connectivity, distinctive LED exterior lighting, and 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The Clarity Fuel Cell is available in Crystal Black Pearl, White Orchid Pearl and signature Bordeaux Red Metallic exterior paint schemes.

Honda Fuel Cell Vehicle Leadership
Honda has led the industry for nearly two decades in the development and deployment of fuel cell vehicle technology through extensive real-world testing and customer deployments, including the world’s first government fleet customers, first-ever retail consumer leasing program, and first FCV dealership network. Since the introduction of its first-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, in 2002, Honda has made significant technological advancements in fuel cell vehicle operation in both hot and sub-freezing weather, while meeting customer expectations and safety regulations.

Honda’s second-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity, launched in July 2008 and was quickly heralded as a technological breakthrough in the areas of design, packaging and efficiency. As the world’s first dedicated platform fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity was powered by the smaller and lighter Honda V-flow fuel cell stack positioned in the center tunnel of the vehicle, with the smooth high torque front-wheel drive electric motor, providing performance on par with a gasoline powered sedan, including a 240 mile EPA driving range rating.

Honda has deployed fuel cell vehicles in the U.S., Germany and Japan, including the FCX Clarity that was named the 2009 World Green Car. Honda has delivered these vehicles to individual retail consumers in the U.S. and collected valuable feedback concerning real-world use of both fuel cell vehicles and public hydrogen refueling stations.

Honda Fuel Cell Vehicle Firsts
Honda fuel cell technology firsts include:

• The first EPA- and CARB-certified fuel cell vehicle (July 2002)
• The world’s first production fuel cell vehicle, introduced to the U.S. and Japan (December 2002)
• The first fuel cell vehicle to start and operate in sub-freezing temperatures (2003)
• The first fuel cell vehicle leased to an individual customer (July 2005)
• The first manufacturer to build and produce a dedicated fuel cell vehicle (FCX Clarity) on a production line specifically made for fuel cell vehicles (2008)
• The first manufacturer to create a fuel cell vehicle dealer network (2008)

Honda Commitment to the Environment
Based on its vision of “Blue Skies for our Children,” Honda is working to advance technologies that address society’s environmental and energy concerns. Honda is targeting a 50 percent reduction in its total company CO₂ emissions on a global basis by 2050, compared to 2000 levels. The Clarity Fuel Cell is the first of the Clarity Series to come to the American market. Soon to join the Clarity Fuel Cell will be the new Clarity Electric and Clarity Plug-In Hybrid in 2017, as the company strives to realize significant growth in sales of electrified vehicles.

¹ 69 city / 67 highway / 68 combined miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (MPGe) rating; 366-mile driving range rating. Based on 2017 EPA ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe and driving range will vary based on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, powertrain condition, and other factors.

² Includes down payment with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, registration, license and dealer fees. For well qualified lessees. Subject to availability beginning December 2016 to California residents on approved credit through Honda Financial Services. Closed end lease for 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell for well qualified lessees. Not all applicants will qualify. No purchase option at lease end. Total monthly payments $13,284. Lessee responsible for maintenance, excessive wear/tear, and 20 cents per mile over 20,000 miles per year. Lease includes Roadside Assistance, up to $15,000 of hydrogen fuel, and up to 21 days Avis luxury rental car. Total due at lease signing is $2,868 plus tax and registration and includes first month’s payment and capitalized cost reduction of $2,499. Offer ends March 31, 2017. Please see your authorized Honda Clarity dealer for complete details. Accessories sold separately. See Honda Clarity dealer for details.

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