Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Honda LaneWatch™ Blind Spot Display Wins A 2013 VIP (Very Innovative Products) Award from Good Housekeeping


Honda's LaneWatch™ blind spot display has won a Good Housekeeping 2013 "Very Innovative Products" (VIP) Award, the only automotive product to earn this distinction for 2013 and one of only nine innovative new product winners overall. Good Housekeeping's 2013 VIP award winners were chosen from more than 1,500 new products evaluated by the scientists and engineers at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute during the past year in the magazine's state-of-the-art product-testing laboratory. Before any product can be named a VIP award winner, it must also pass the Research Institute's evaluations for performance and safety.

Debuting on the all-new 2013 Accord, which recently achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) new TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation, and now also available on the versatile 2013 Crosstour, LaneWatch uses a camera mounted on the passenger-side mirror to display real-time images of the vehicle's right-side blind spot on an 8-inch color dashboard display. The image appears when the right turn signal is activated, or when a button on the end of the turn signal stalk is pressed.

"LaneWatch is an intuitive visibility technology that represents the sort of innovation that consumers have come to expect from Honda," said Mike Accavitti, vice president of national marketing operations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Automotive products don't often win Good Housekeeping's VIP awards, and that makes it even sweeter to have LaneWatch listed among the best new consumer products of 2013."

The typical field of view for a passenger-side mirror is approximately 18 to 22 degrees, but the LaneWatch field-of-view is about four times greater, or approximately 80 degrees. The system helps the driver to see traffic, as well as pedestrians, bicycles or other objects in the vehicle's blind spot. To help make judging distance easier, the display has three reference lines. Drivers are encouraged to visually confirm roadway conditions prior to changing lanes.

Courtesy of Honda Media Newsroom

Monday, January 7, 2013

The 2013 Honda Accord Wins Cars.com/USA Today/"MotorWeek" Midsize Sedan Shootout!

Honda-accord
The 2013 Honda Accord has won the top spot in the Cars.com/USA TODAY/"MotorWeek" Midsize Sedan Showdown, a competition among six popular midsize sedans that retail for under $26,000 and achieve 28 mpg or better combined EPA-rated fuel economy. A real-world family and experts from Cars.com, USA TODAY and "MotorWeek" recognized the Accord for its athletic and dynamic handling, comfortable driving experience and ample standard feature content. This is the fifth win for Honda in a Cars.com/USA TODAY/"MotorWeek" shootout with the current models of the Honda Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and Fit also winning their respective shootouts.

"We're pleased that the real-world customers have determined that Accord excels in all areas, which makes the Cars.com/USA TODAY/"MotorWeek" showdown victory for the 2013 Accord all the more meaningful," said Michael Accavitti, vice president of marketing operations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The consistent strength of Honda products in these shootouts supports our strong position with in-market consumers."

"Accord is one of the oldest and most trusted midsize sedans on the market," said Patrick Olsen, Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com. "With each redesign, the Accord continues to get better and better. The 2013 won our showdown because of its high-end standard features, value for money and great driving ability."

Beyond this latest Cars.com/USA TODAY/"MotorWeek" shootout win, the 2013 Honda Accord is among the first vehicles awarded the TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and was named to Car and Driver Magazine's '10Best Cars' list for a record 27th time. Additionally, the Accord was announced as a finalist for the 2013 North American Car of the Year.

The Cars.com/USA TODAY/"MotorWeek" competition measures all the needs of the average car-buyer including fuel efficiency, practicality, driving ability, comfort and features.

Courtesy of Honda Media Newsroom

A very sincere "thank you" to the author of this great review! Keep up the outstanding work, Keith!

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