As if obesity wasn’t a big enough problem already, Honda has revealed a personal mobility device, the U3-X. The U3-X could mean that you’ll never have to walk again.
Weighting just 22 pounds the U3-X can easily move amongst pedestrians. You just sit down and go-although it really does not look comfortable.
According to Yahoo News, “the single wheel on the U3-X — U stands for “unicycle” and “universal” — is made up of many tiny motor-controlled wheels, packed inside the bigger wheel, allowing the device to swerve in any direction.”
According to the Business Insider, “it’s just a prototype. Honda hasn’t decided if it will make these, or how much they might cost.”
The price of oil, the credit crunch and now an official recession is really affecting the traditional markets in North America, western Europe and Japan which in turn is affecting the carmakers.
“In America car sales are running at about 16% below last year’s level. Detroit’s struggling big three—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler—are in dire straits.”
However, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel as there is a huge demand in the big emerging car markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China (the so-called BRICs). Predictions are that, despite the recession and market crunch, global car sales may hot a record high of 59m.
September was a very slow month for automakers, thanks to the slow down (grinding halt?) in the US economy. In fact, for the first time in 15 years, auto sales for the month of September fell below 1 million. Check it out:
| Automaker | Sept. 08 | Sept. 07 | Change | Automaker | Sept. 08 | Sept. 07 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | 282,806 | 334,974 | -15.6% | BMW | 18,583 | 24,968 | -25.6% |
| Toyota/Lexus | 144,260 | 213,042 | -32.3% | Mazda | 16,169 | 25,098 | -35.6% |
| Ford | 116,301 | 175,361 | -33.7% | Subaru | 14,491 | 16,457 | -11.9% |
| Chrysler | 107,349 | 159,799 | -32.8% | Mitsubishi | 7,378 | 12,102 | -39.0% |
| Honda/Acura | 96,626 | 127,200 | -24.0% | Suzuki | 4,083 | 7,653 | -46.6% |
| Nissan/Infiniti | 59,565 | 94,269 | -36.8% | Volvo | 4,054 | 8,408 | -51.8% |
| Hyundai/Kia | 42,148 | 57,301 | -26.4% | Porsche | 1,458 | 2,641 | -44.8% |
| VW | 24,504 | 27,601 | -11.2% | Isuzu | 258 | 565 | -54.3% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 20,582 | 22,481 | -8.4% | Industry total | 956,160 | 1,315,402 | -27.3% |
Honda is going to start selling electric and hybrid motorcycles as soon as 2011. Originally, it was thought that hybrid technology was simply too bulky for motocycles, however Honda is confident they can shrink the technology. Read more…
Honda is currently the only car-maker to offer vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (however these cars are only available in California and New York). This Civic GX is selling out consistently, and so Toyota has decided to get in on the game. In November at the LA auto show, they will be unveiling their CNG-electric hybrid Camry - although the company has not yet decided whether they should put the car into production. Read more…
This road in Lancaster, California plays the William Tell Overture. Small grooves in the road play the song at perfect pitch for drivers who roll over the road at the 55 mph speed limit, in a Honda Civic. It was put there by, you guessed it, Honda. Residents have had mixed reactions to the road, but the naysayers won: the grooves are being paved over this week.
Apparently this isn’t the first time this kind of thing has been tried, either. It has been previously seen in Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands. Read more…
Check out a video of the tune here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7628668.stm
You work hard for your money, and the gas prices are certainly not treating you right. Here’s a list of the top ten cars that won’t pillage your pocket at the pump, as compiled by Car and Driver.com.
- 2008 Toyota Prius
- 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
- 2008 Smart Fortwo
- 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
- 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
- 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
- 2008 Toyota Yaris
- 2008 Mini Cooper/Clubman
- 2008 Honda Fit
Read more to find out why…
Hybrids and small, fuel-efficient cars are in short supply, and the auto industry, in general, is having one of its worst years ever.But auto buyers, driven by rapidly rising gas prices, found some appealing fuel-efficient mid-sized and crossover vehicles in the $18,000 to $30,000 range. Sales of some models in this segment surged in June 2008, compared with June 2007, and the increase provided a ray of hope to automakers otherwise struggling to stay afloat.
The biggest winners were the Chevrolet Malibu sedan (25 mpg), sales up 73.4% in June 2008 compared with June 2007; Honda Accord sedan (24 mpg), sales up 54%; Chevrolet Equinox crossover (19 mpg), sales up 45.9; Subaru Forester crossover (22 mpg), sales up 41%; and Pontiac G6 sedan (25 mpg), sales up 34.2%. Read more…
According to Jacqueline Mitchell
When someone on the EcoModder forums asks about buying a used hybrid, there is usually a flurry of excitement coupled with cautions about the age of the car and the price of a new battery pack. Ecomodders, usually being budget-minded folks, are very wary of the seemingly astronomical price of battery replacement.
In the early part of this decade, some of the biggest worries about hybrids were how could the batteries possibly last, when would they finally give out, and how much would it cost to have them replaced. These days, concerns about batteries have largely faded out of the minds of new car buyers. Honda and Toyota have both had hybrids on the market for about a decade now, and there are no ominous junkyards filled with dead hybrids. Read more…
According to Benjamin Jones
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