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: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Hybrid, Hydrogen
Every two years, the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) runs a series of events called National AFV Day Odyssey (the AFV stands for alternative fuel vehicles). The 2008 date for the day is, well, today and the idea is to coordinate support for the alternative fuel vehicle industry. Different sites will host ride-and-drives, vehicle displays, Q&A sessions and workshops. Another side of AFV Day is to get better communication going between the people in the USDOE/Clean Cities Program and others.
If you’re looking for an event to attend today, you can check out this list for details of where, but in the event listings that I looked at, exactly what and when wasn’t specified. Maybe the system will be a little more clear in 2010. Thanks to Greg B. for the tip.
[Source: National AFV Day]
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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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