Honda Concerto Reviews

Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture between Sony and Honda, will launch its first model in the US in 2026.The Afeela 1 sedan made its ‘near-production’ debut at CES 2025 in Las Vegas this week, with the electric car priced from US$89,900 (A$144,000).Online reservations are open in California for the Afeela 1, with a fully refundable US$200 deposit as the holding fee. It also says deliveries are anticipated to begin in mid-2026 with production taking place at an existing plant in Ohio. Japanese deliveries will begin some time in 2026.Yasuhide Mizuno, Chairperson and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, said the Afeela 1 is designed for the “era of autonomous driving”.“Afeela 1 can be called a buddy, combining advanced software with meticulously refined hardware. We will meet our customers’ expectations by providing a safe, secure, and comfortable travel experience.”As such, a focus of the EV is its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) which use 40 sensors including Lidar, AI and visualisations for the driver or passengers.The Afeela 1 will come in two grades, but specifications suggest both will be AWD with a 180kW motor mounted at each axle, a 91kWh battery, a driving range up to about 480km, and 150kW DC fast charging.It’ll launch with level 2 ADAS, a suite of tech inside including a ‘media bar’, panoramic screen, 3D maps, power doors and a yoke-style steering wheel.A higher-grade ‘Signature’ variant is set to launch from US$102,900 (A$165,000) and will feature rear entertainment screens, larger wheels and more colour choices among presumably more features to be announced later.In early 2024 when Afeela’s product plans were expanded, Yasuhide Mizuno said both companies would bring the best of their individual expertise and assets to the table in the joint venture.“We plan to fully leverage the technological assets the two companies possess in different fields, such as Sony's sensing technology and Honda's original mobility development capabilities, to realise mobility and services that inspire and excite our customers.”“By bringing together the expertise of both companies, we aim to lead the way in a new era."It is unclear how ambitious sales targets are for the Afeela 1, but it is price a long way north of rivals such as the Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal and even the dearer Lucid Air, despite the Afeela only being mid-class for charging speed and range.No Australian plans have been announced.

Honda has debuted two brand new EV prototypes at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with high-level autonomous driving technology.Dubbed the 0 Saloon and 0 SUV, Honda is planning on full-scale production for the global market by 2026, with production taking place from its EV hub in Ohio, USA.The 0 Saloon was previously unveiled as a concept at CES 2024 alongside the Space-Hub people-mover, although Honda appears to have dropped the latter design for a more practical SUV.This time they’re much closer to road-going guise, with Honda replacing the futuristic headlights and illuminated front grille on the Saloon for black panelling and a regular set of LEDs.Honda is still sticking by the unique “wedge-shaped” styling, which it hopes will set it apart in the EV market.The 0 SUV is more conventional, adopting a classic SUV silhouette, with a boxy design, thick D-pillars and pixelated headlights.Both maintain the huge oval-shaped rear tail lights, two-tone colour scheme and Honda’s new illuminated front logo, which debuted on the original concept versions.Inside, the cabin is screen-heavy with virtually no physical controls. There are screens for the driver's display and central multimedia screen, along with one for the passenger and two on each side for the side-view cameras.Underpinning both models is Honda’s new in-house ASIMO OS operating system, which utilises AI technology to inform its automated driving and advanced driver assist systems, as well as in-vehicle infotainment.Honda said it hopes to be the first automaker to expand the application of its level three “eyes-off” automated driving function – which is already employed in freeway-driving situations in Japan – to all driving applications.That means a driver will be able to perform a secondary task while en-route to their destination, such as watching a movie or remotely attending a meeting. Honda hopes widespread use of this technology will lead to “zero traffic collision fatalities in the future”.Software will be continually updated over-the-air, even after the vehicle’s purchase, a capability first pioneered by Tesla in 2012.Honda hasn’t detailed what powertrains it will offer in its 0 Series vehicles, although it aims to deliver 30,000 charging stations in North America by 2030 through a joint venture with eight other automakers, including Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, Kia and Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis.Honda’s local division has previously confirmed that Australia will see an EV around 2028, which theoretically gives its plant in the US more than enough time to produce right-hand drive versions.

Nissan is in dire straits and another Japanese carmaker is coming to the rescue. Forging an official bond through a memorandum of understanding in March, Honda and Nissan are now taking steps towards a ‘business integration’ — that means a new holding company led by Honda executives will likely sit above the two brands.Mitsubishi, Nissan’s ongoing alliance partner, also expressed an interest in joining Japan’s nascent automotive giant. Nissan's other alliance partner Renault elected to keep distance from the Japanese arrangement. Not everyone is so sure the new deal is a good one, including outspoken former Nissan Boss Carlos Ghosn. Investors have also cooled on their initial excitement, with Nissan stock dropping 7.8 per cent late last week.Distinct from The Alliance, the new arrangement will see Nissan and Honda merge under a new, as-yet unnamed holding group. The deal is tipped to be finalised by August 2026 and the new company will be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). Mitsubishi’s involvement in the new company will be decided by January 2025. This is a response to Nissan’s current position, with the company battling sales declines, shrinking profits and huge debts. Specifically, China is the main target, with Nissan’s sales in the country down 50 per cent last fiscal year. New, electrified and ‘software-defined’ products are desperately needed. Banding together won’t see Nissan and Honda outsell Toyota, which delivered over 11 million vehicles last year. Still, with Honda’s 3.8 million unit and Nissan’s 3.4 million unit projections, the pair will be close. Add Mitsubishi’s circa-900,000 sales and that’s over 8.0 million. Honda will have a controlling share in the new group, being Japan’s second-biggest carmaker and the larger company of the three. It also has more stable financials than Nissan. In short, working together should see Honda and Nissan share vehicle platforms and technology investment, giving the two brands greater operational efficiency. The goal is to have a combined sales revenue exceeding 30 trillion yen (A$300 billion) and a healthy 10 per cent operating margin. The change in arrangement will see Honda and Nissan working closely but will not preclude the brands from continuing relationships with the likes of General Motors and Renault, respectively.In Ghosn's eyes, the deal stands to stem Nissan's losses, yet does not offer clear advantages in terms of technology, supply chain or platform. Neither company has a strong foot hold in China, for example, yet they compete fiercely in other markets such as the US and Europe.“It doesn’t make sense ... the first thing you look at when you want to envision an alliance is complementarity between the two partners. When I look at Honda and Nissan, I see none,” Ghosn commented from Beirut, Lebanon.Honda's engineering excellence lays mainly in combustion engines and it will forever be the bridesmaid in the hybrid game. The cutting edge Insight beat Toyota to market with a hybrid yet it failed to have the cultural impact the Prius did. Honda then didn't persevere with hybrids in passengers cars in the same way Toyota did.The brand's electric cars have struggled, too. The Honda e ended up being a quirky curio, while the North American-market Prologue and (critically panned) European market e:Ny1 haven't blown the competition away.Nissan was, on the other hand, early to the electric car game with the Leaf yet did not progress the technology as fast as new Chinese carmakers have since. The Ariya is its lone electric car though an all-new Leaf is coming in 2025 or 2026.Game-changing solid state batteries are also in Nissan and Honda's future arsenals, which could turn the game around in the eventual merged company's favour.

It’s a year that will likely go down as an historical turning point for the Aussie new car market. With local manufacturing now a tiny spec in the rear view mirror, the long-predicted new wave of Chinese challenger brands built into an automotive tsunami in 2024.

Honda has confirmed the new Honda Prelude will go on sale from late 2025 to early 2026, with hybrid power and a design very faithful to the prototype.

The small-car segment is stagnant at the moment and consumers are starting to wonder where the replacements for the ageing Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 are, amongst others. Well, some are coming, others may not, and Kia may just have the answer you seek.

Like many car brands, Honda is storming the hybrid field. The new HR-V brings with it a hybrid powertrain and external facelift but is it enough to keep it competitive in the small SUV segment?

Honda has unveiled a demonstration production line for solid-state batteries as a prelude to a full-scale assault on the new technology.

Honda has announced the Civic will transition to a hybrid-only lineup for 2025, as the brand makes minor design tweaks and adds upgraded software technology to the range.The base-model 1.5-litre petrol variant is out, with both variants now being powered by a 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder engine that produces 135kW/315Nm through an electronic continuously variable transmission as standard.It comes paired to twin electric motors – one to power the front wheels and the other to acts as a generator to charge the 1.05kWh lithium-ion battery pack when braking.That improves fuel consumption across the range to 4.2L/100km, putting it closely behind the Toyota Corolla's 4.0L/100km figure.The Civic will be dearer for 2025, with the now entry-level e:HEV L variant priced at $49,900 drive-away nationally, up $2700 on the previous starting price of the petrol version.The updated top-spec e:HEV LX is $900 more at $55,900 drive-away.The top-spec Toyota Corolla – which is a hybrid – is about $6000 to $7000 cheaper than the Civic once you factor in on-road costs. The Volkswagen Golf is also a fair chunk of change cheaper than the Civic.It is still significantly cheaper than more premium alternatives such as the BMW 118 ($56,500), the Audi A3 ($53,100) and the Mercedes-Benz A200 ($56,200), all at before on-road costs.The updated Civic gets a refreshed front bumper that deletes the previous model's fog lights. There are new 18-inch alloy wheel designs.Inside, the bottom-spec e:HEV L loses some standard features that were previously allocated to its petrol predecessor, such as wireless charging, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat.The top-spec e:HEV LX has those as standard and adds leather-appointed seats and a panoramic sunroof over the e:HEV L.Both models add software upgrades, including Google built-in, which integrates Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play into the car’s 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen.Both cars are now also hooked up to the new-generation of the Honda Connect app, which allows owners to monitor their car’s location and fuel levels as well as lock/unlock their car remotely.Upgraded Honda Sensing safety technology also improves the car’s driver safety assist technology through what Honda said is “improve front camera software”, though that is the extent of the details.The Civic currently boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating in line with 2022 protocols. It carries 11 airbags and standard safety features like Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Cruise Control.As before, the Civic is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which includes five years of free roadside assistance and capped price servicing at $199 for the first five visits.Prices are calculated at national drive-away

Honda has unveiled its most “off-road capable” SUV ever in the US, the fourth-generation Passport, but sadly there are no plans to launch it Down Under.