Honda at JIMS 2013: Premieres, concepts, show cars, racers – and so much more!
Honda at JIMS 2013: Premieres, concepts, show cars, racers – and so much more!
Honda at JIMS 2013: Premieres, concepts, show cars, racers – and so much more!
- NSX Concept headlines Honda’s presence at JIMS
- SA premieres of Honda Civic Tourer and new Honda Accord
- Club Brio underscores lively, vibrant character of Brio Hatch
- Civic WTCC race car emphasises Honda’s winning motorsport heritage
- Full range of current Honda passenger cars on show
Visitors to the Honda stand at this year’s Johannesburg International Motor Show are in for a treat.
Honda Motor Southern Africa has pulled out all the stops to create a display filled to the brim with new models, concepts and race cars, while also showcasing the current Honda passenger car range.
Pride of place in new model terms will go to the exciting Honda Civic Tourer, which will make its South African debut only weeks after its international unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
However, the sleek estate won’t be the only all-new Honda model to be revealed at JIMS: the latest-generation Honda Accord will make its first local appearance as a sneak preview ahead of the upmarket sedan’s debut in 2014.
Motor shows are as much about concepts as they are about production models, and Honda will have one of the most striking concept cars on display. The NSX Concept provides an indication of what Honda’s next-generation supercar will look like when it debuts in 2015.
No less than three Honda Brio hatchbacks specially built for JIMS, occupy an area Honda calls Club Brio. The trio features custom bodywork, intricate decaling, powerful sound systems, and in one instance, a performance-modified engine.
For the real petrolheads, the presence of the world championship-winning Civic Hatch WTCC race car will be a particular highlight. The car, campaigned by Honda Racing Team JAS in the 12-round World Touring Car Championship, clinched the 2013 manufacturer’s title in September, well before the end of the season.
Of course, Honda will also be showcasing its current range of passenger vehicles. Its array of four-door sedans on display will include the recently launched Honda Brio Sedan, the affordable and attractive Honda Ballade, and the Honda Civic sedan.
For hatchback fans, Honda’s compact but amazingly spacious and versatile Jazz will also be on display, together with the larger Civic Hatch. Ticking both the sports coupé and the hybrid boxes will be the recently updated CR-Z sporty hybrid, which now offers both sharper looks and more power.
Finally, the CR-V compact SUV remains a Honda stalwart. The current version was launched late in 2012, and has reiterated its status as one of the favourites in this segment. A two-wheel drive version and a 2,0-litre model have added further appeal to the range.
“The Honda product line-up has never been more varied, nor more attractive,” says Yoshimura Nakamura, managing director of Honda Motor Southern Africa. “And as our show stand proves, there will be even more reason for excitement in the future.”
Nakamura points out that significant models like the ever-popular Jazz, Civic and CR-V ranges continue to provide a solid sales foundation for the Honda brand in SA. “New entrants like the Brio, and improvements to existing models like the CR-Z, provide both brand loyalists and new customers with fresh purchasing options.”
“We are particularly proud of being able to showcase the exciting NSX Concept, which points the way to Honda’s future, not only as far as the production version of the supercar is concerned, but also in that technologies developed for the NSX will filter down to mass-produced Honda models.
“And since we’re talking about the future, the Civic Tourer and new Accord are both models that visitors to the show will be able to view months before they are officially launched in SA. It’s another way for Honda Motor SA to reiterate its long-term commitment to the country, and to the subcontinent,” Nakamura concluded.
[source : Honda Motor SA]
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