Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Japan, HondaClick above to view a massive, high-res gallery of the JDM Honda OdysseyHonda’s JDM Odyssey - not to be confused with the U.S.-market people mover that shares the same name - has been hailed as one of the best handling minivans in Japan. For 2009, Honda has taken everything good about […]
Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Japan, Honda
As many of you doubtless know, the Japanese Honda Odyssey isn’t the same thing we get here in the States. While we get the more jumbo-rific family escape pod with sliders and the whole shebang, the JDM Odyssey is a sleeker-looking MPV with four traditionally-hinged doors anf four-cylinder power. And now it’s time for a new one. Honda’s just put up a special site to welcome the upcoming 4th-gen JDM Odyssey, whose styling further evolves the shape that’s by now a common site in Japan, while the front end is likely to showcase Honda’s current family design theme (think Clarity, Insight, etc.). You can check out the teaser site by clicking here, and keep in mind that Honda’s reportedly thinking about sending over some of its JDM machinery. In lieu of, say, an Accord wagon, this (or the more compact Stream) might work for a lot of people — especially those of us who view the typical U.S.-style minivan as Superman does kryptonite.
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Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Japan, Safety, Tech, Honda
What other automaker would spend the time and expense of developing a new airbag just because, you know, airbags could be better? The same one who developed a new rail car for the same reason. The Japanese automaker has developed a new airbag it claims will give drivers better protection in accidents. The shaped bag uses a spiral seam to induce more even inflation, which provides a larger surface area and creates uniform pressure around the bag more quickly than in a conventional airbag system. Thus, the driver is cushioned sooner. The i-SRS system also uses a gas release valve that helps control airbag deployment and pressure, and holds the gas inside the bag until a preset time. The technology is already slated to appear on the Honda Life in Japan this November.
Outside the vehicle, Honda will be adding a new multi-view camera to the upcoming JDM Odyssey, much like Nissan’s Around View Monitor. Four wide-angle CCD cameras will be placed in the front, back, and on the side mirrors. Each view can be seen individually or combined for a computer generated aerial shot of the car’s movements. Because they’re wide angle, Honda has also incorporated a view with the front camera that extends the driver’s line of sight in low-visibility intersections, such as when exiting a parking garage (see right pic). It sounds similar to the front-mounted camera system on the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Unfortunately there’s no word on when either technology will come to the U.S. Thanks for the tip, phaedra!
[Source: Honda]
Continue reading Only Honda: New i-SRS Airbag System and Bird’s Eye camera
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Filed under: Japan, Hatchbacks, Toyota
As we reported yesterday, Toyota announced today the availability of a new premium compact hatchback called the Blade. Based on the Auris, the Blade gets a sharper edge of style with a sculpted front end that’s more aggressive than the bloated face of the Auris. Unlike what we told you yesterday, Toyota did not announce a powerful 280-hp V6 as an engine option for the Blade, at least it hasn’t yet. At launch, the Blade will be powered by Toyota’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, which Wikipedia lists as producing 157 hp and 162 ft-lbs of torque. Toyota didn’t release official power figures for the engine’s use in the Blade, so those numbers may turn out to be different. The engine will be paired with what Toyota calls its Super CVT-i, a continuously variable transmission with seven programmed “speeds” if people still yearn the kick-down of a cog, and will be available in front- and all-wheel drive. As a premium hatchback, the Blade also gets many electronic nannies including Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, side and curtain shield airbags, as well as a driver’s seat knee bag.
Read more of our thoughts and check out the official press release from Toyota after the jump.
[Source: Toyota]
Continue reading Toyota officially launches the Blade
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