Honda is the biggest climber in Car Dealer Power Survey 2016 making it one of the UK's best dealer networks around.

• Honda is the biggest climber in Car Dealer Power Survey 2016
• Survey measures satisfaction levels at dealer network level
• Progress highlights Honda’s commitment to dealer partners and customer experience

Honda (UK) has made major advances in satisfaction levels across its dealer network according to the results of a major new survey.

The brand made the biggest gains in the influential Car Dealer Power Survey 2016, climbing 20 places and establishing itself as one of the industry’s leading manufacturers, particularly when it comes to aftersales, new car supply and finance, which Honda scored especially well on.

Compiled by Car Dealer Magazine, the survey asks dealers to rate the performance of manufacturers across key business areas such as brand awareness, forward planning, finance offerings and return on investment.

The results show Honda retailers are particularly impressed with the brand’s performance across its aftersales operations, giving it an impressive 90 per cent approval rating.

This came just weeks after Hondacare Assistance – the brand’s breakdown and recovery service – was voted the best in the 2016 Which? Breakdown Survey and awarded Which? Recommended Provider status.

Taken together, the two surveys demonstrate the progress being made in Honda’s continued commitment to deliver the very best ownership experience for its customers.

The Car Dealer Power Survey, with its business focus, also underlines the attractiveness of the Honda brand to potential investors keen to join its expanding dealer network.

Rebecca Stead, head of network development at Honda UK, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have made such significant advances in satisfaction levels across our dealer network over the past 12 months and will continue to seek to improve.

Stead added: “As a brand, we place great emphasis on developing the working relationship we have with our dealer partners and to ensuring the processes and financial infrastructure we put in place work for them and their businesses.

“The benefits of this approach will be felt too outside our network as happy and satisfied dealers will project the very best impression of our brand and its strengths and values to our customers and potential customers.”

Hondacare Assistance has been voted the best car maker branded cover in the 2016 Which? Breakdown Survey.

Hondacare Assistance has been voted the best car maker branded cover in the 2016 Which? Breakdown Survey and been awarded Which? Recommended Provider status.

As part of the Which? Car Survey 2016, which collected data from almost 8,600 drivers who had to call out a breakdown service in the past year, Hondacare Assistance scored an impressive 88%, up by 1% from last year’s survey.

Hondacare Assistance took the top spot in both the time taken to arrive on site as well as the ‘repair at roadside’ categories, both of which are key factors when a customer is stuck at the roadside, highlighted by the survey which discovered 78% said response time is the most important factor when choosing a breakdown company.

Provided by the AA, Hondacare Assistance covers the car for three years and is included as part of the manufacturer warranty offering a full range of services such as home, roadside and recovery assistance as well as a messaging service to let a family member know what’s happening.  All Honda owners get European Assistance as part of the standard manufacturer warranty.

Philip Crossman, Managing Director of Honda UK, commented: “Hondacare Assistance has been named the best car maker branded cover for the second year running, which is a tremendous achievement.  In all instances at Honda, the customer is the priority and this recognition by a trusted consumer champion will firmly entrench that ethos in both our existing and new customers to the Honda brand.”

Honda (UK) almost took top spot in the 2016 J.D. Power Customer Service Index, having been pipped to the post by just one point.

Honda (UK) almost took top spot in the 2016 J.D. Power Customer Service Index, having been pipped to the post by just one point.

On the survey’s 1,000-point scale that ranks each manufacturer on overall customer satisfaction, Honda scored 775 points, exceeding the ‘volume brand’ average of 744 and the ‘premium brand’ average of 761. What’s more, Honda outgunned the top premium brand, which scored 774.

The J.D. Power 2016 UK Customer Service (CSI) Study is regarded as a leading authority on customer service in the UK car market. This year’s survey was carried out between February and April 2016 taking direct feedback from 8,478 customers who registered new vehicles between February 2013 and April 2015.

The study measures the customer service of franchised dealers for maintenance and repair work, examining five weighted measures (listed in order of importance):

• Service quality
• Service initiation
• Service advisor
• Vehicle pick-up
• Service facility

Philip Crossman, Managing Director of Honda (UK), said: “Our dealers consistently score highly on independent customer satisfaction surveys and it’s great to see this excellence quality once again recognised by J.D. Power and our customers. Dealers are the front line for the Honda brand, they are integral to our business and so consistently scoring highly for customer satisfaction is extremely encouraging.”

The study also summarises key findings that significantly contribute to overall customer satisfaction:

• A greeting on arrival from a service advisor can increase service satisfaction by as much as 48 points on the 1,000 point-scale
• A fast and efficient ‘pick-up’ after maintenance or service work is vital. Overall satisfaction is highest among the 53% of customers who said the process of completing paperwork and being handed their keys took less than five minutes
• Transparency on work carried out against the price paid is highly valued. Overall satisfaction averages 742 among the 81% of customers who received an explanation of the charges after service was completed, compared with 653 among those who did not receive an explanation

Honda (UK) is currently offering a five-year or 62,500-mile 32-point service plan for the fixed price of £695 (petrol models) and £995 (diesels), offering potential savings of £505 and £435 respectively. Undertaken by Honda-trained technicians using genuine Honda parts, this offer is available on cars less than eight months old, with fewer than 8,000 miles on the clock. 

The Toy Garage from the 1970/80's is being recreated for Honda and the Goodwood Festival of Speed Stand.

• Based on Fisher Price toy garage from the 70s and 80s
• Loose recreation of kids classic follows on from toy boxes last year
• Goodwood Festival of Speed kicks off on 23^rd June for four days

With Britain’s biggest automotive garden party just a few short weeks away, the wraps have come off the Honda stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Harking back to the toy boxes of the 1970s and 1980s, the Honda stand for the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed is loosely based on the iconic Fisher Price toy garage everyone of a certain age possessed.

Just like the original 26cm tall toy garage first seen in 1970, the 10m tall Honda version will feature three levels in bright red and yellow colours, vehicle ramp and the iconic tower - although the lift has been taken up with exciting installations for the McLaren Formula One car and the Civic Sport.

As with the original, which was discontinued over 30 years ago in 1985, the Honda stand will have a turning handle on the second level and access from two sides.  The first floor will feature the Jazz, HR-V, the Iconic Africa Twin and the McLaren Formula One car while the upper floor will be an invite only VIP area and have the another Africa Twin. 

Sadly Goodwood visitors will not be able to whizz down the ramp as this will house the road-going RC213V-S bike and the 2016 BTCC Honda Civic Type R.

The ground floor will feature the Fireblade Isle of Man TT Special, a Civic Type R, the Civic Sport, the CR-V, HR-V and NSX - making it the first time the UK public can see Honda’s new supercar at close quarters.

Philip Crossman, managing director at Honda UK, commented: “As with last year’s award winning stand designed around children’s toy cars, Honda has yet again steered away from the conventional corporate boxes favoured by the competition and come up with an eye-catching fun and highly evocative stand design.  

I can’t wait to see it in situ at Goodwood!”

John Grigg, senior producer at Jack Morton who conceived and delivered last year’s toy car concept and this year’s installation commented: “Honda has a playfulness and ability to have fun that is inherent to the brand identity. 

Our partners in the Honda UK team pair this with a bravery to do things a little differently. We can’t wait to see the smiles of guests who remember the original toy and the excitement of younger visitors seeing it for the first time!”

Rick Hendrick takes delivery of Vin Number 001 Acura NSX Supercar, with the $1.2M going to two charities.

• First customer Rick Hendrick takes delivery of VIN 001 with proceeds from his $1.2 million winning bid going to two children’s charities

Acura today celebrated the highly anticipated line-off of the first serial production 2017 Acura NSX at the new Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio. The PMC is the exclusive manufacturing home to Acura's next-generation NSX, the only supercar made in America.

"Today marks the realization of a big dream here at the PMC and the culmination of more than 30 years of manufacturing experience and expertise here in Ohio," said Clement D'Souza, engineering large project leader for the Acura NSX. 

"Our world class team of expert technicians, through their passion, has realized major innovations in the design and manufacturing of a next-generation Acura supercar that truly delivers incredible precision crafted performance."

The first customer, Rick Hendrick, earned the right to custom order the first production NSX with a winning bid of $1.2 million at the Barrett-Jackson auction in January. All proceeds from the sale went to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Camp Southern Ground.  Hendrick drove his Valencia Red Pearl Acura NSX off the line. VIN 001 features exclusive interwoven wheels, carbon ceramic brake rotors, leather and Alcantara interior trim and carbon fiber upgrades including the engine cover, roof, and rear decklid spoiler.

"The NSX is a pure expression of the Precision Crafted Performance DNA and challenging spirit that defines the Acura brand," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura. "We can't wait to give our clients a chance to experience this dream product, and will carry this day's momentum forward as we continue to invest in and grow Acura."

"Taking delivery of this first new Acura supercar and knowing the proceeds will benefit two remarkable organizations for children makes this a very special moment for me and everyone on our team," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. "It's especially rewarding to see this incredible supercar coming to life in the United States, which is a real testament to the company's commitment to innovation and manufacturing here."

The PMC was designed to blend human craftsmanship and advanced technologies to assure superior build quality and precision crafted performance. The PMC is home to master technicians who developed 12 patent-pending technologies and other advanced methods of producing a made-to-order supercar. PMC associates created sophisticated new manufacturing methods around the unique capabilities and specifications of Acura's next-generation NSX. Innovations to the NSX construction, painting, assembly and quality confirmation process include fully robotic MIG welding of the aluminum-intensive space frame, 14 hours of meticulous hand assembly by 16 highly skilled manufacturing technicians, and a dynamic performance testing and confirmation process drawn from the company's extensive race experience.

In nearby Anna, Ohio, at the company's largest engine plant, master builders hand assemble the NSX's 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, which is then mated to its advanced 9-speed dual clutch transmission and rear direct drive electric motor.  Each NSX engine is machine balanced, bench tested and broken-in to the equivalent of 150 miles of service to ensure that every NSX engine is track-ready upon customer delivery.  The engine is installed at the PMC, along with its revolutionary front-mounted Twin Motor Unit, which enables electrically powered torque vectoring, a world's first capability in the sports car realm.

Development of the Acura NSX involved a global R&D team led by engineers at the Ohio Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. in Raymond, Ohio, roughly a mile from the PMC.  The final design was created at the Acura Design Studio in Torrance, Calif., based on an original concept from the Wako Studio in Japan.

Acura debuts the new NSX racecar at the New York Auto Show ready for competition from 2017.

• Twin turbocharged NSX supercar to campaign in North American competition starting 2017
• NSX slated to undergo homologation this fall as an FIA GT3 class racecar
• Racecar body to be built by the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, the exclusive manufacturing home to the all-new Acura NSX supercar; engine to be produced in Anna, Ohio

Acura took the wraps off a NSX GT3 racecar today at the 2016 New York International Auto Show, announcing its intention to campaign the twin-turbocharged NSX supercar in North America starting in 2017. The NSX is currently undergoing testing and slated for homologation as an FIA GT3 class racecar this fall.

The unveiled Acura NSX GT3 racecar featured custom bodywork and aero components including a large deck wing spoiler, underbody diffuser and enlarged hood vents for efficient engine cooling. The NSX GT3 will be powered by a 3.5-liter, 75-degree, twin turbocharged DOHC V-6 engine using the  same design specifications as the engine in the production 2017 Acura NSX, including the block, heads, valvetrain, crankshaft, pistons and dry sump lubrication system. The engine will be paired with a 6-speed, sequential-shift racing gearbox, delivering power to the rear wheels.

The NSX GT3 will utilize the production NSX's ultra-rigid and lightweight multi-material body with aluminum-intensive space frame, which will be produced by the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, the exclusive manufacturing home for the new Acura NSX. Its twin turbocharged V-6 engine will also be manufactured in Ohio.

Initial development of the NSX GT3 was conducted by the company's Japan race engineering arm with testing on race circuits in Europe and Japan. Additional development, testing and final homologation to FIA GT3 global racing specifications is currently being undertaken by the company's North American race engineering group, Honda Performance Development (HPD), in Santa Clarita, California.

"The NSX was designed as a pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance, and we're looking forward to proving out its ultimate performance capabilities in GT3 racing," said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development.  "We'll be working with the NSX engineering teams in Ohio and Japan to bring our dream of a truly world-class new Acura NSX racecar to fruition."

The Acura NSX GT3 car will join a rich legacy of Acura sports car racing campaigns and championships, including the 1991, 1992 and 1993 IMSA Camel Lights manufacturer and driver championships, and the 2009 American LeMans manufacturer, driver and team championships in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. Acura currently campaigns a pair of TLX GT cars with Real Time Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge.

The production 2017 Acura NSX launches this spring with serial production slated to begin in late April at the Performance Manufacturing Center. Customer order taking commenced on February 25, 2016, with the launch of the NSX online configurator at NSX.Acura.com.

Honda confirms European sales of the All New Supercar, NSX will begin in the Autumn.

• Prices starting from approximately £130,000
• Europe confirmed as the lead export region for NSX
• European deliveries to commence during Autumn 2016

Following the clamour and excitement of its official launch in the US, Honda UK today announced further launch details for the all-new Honda NSX with prices starting from approximately £130,000.

Honda has confirmed that Europe will be the leading export region for sales of NSX, and will be sold through a limited network of authorised dealers in key European locations. Deliveries of the first NSX in Europe are to commence during Autumn 2016.

Specifically created to bring a “New Sports eXperience” to the supercar segment, the NSX challenges prevailing beliefs about supercars as much as the first generation did a quarter of a century ago. The NSX features classic low and wide proportions married to modern and alluring surfacing, an aggressive front design, and rear lights.

At its heart is an all new longitudinally mounted twin-turbo V6 engine that is mated to an all-new, Honda developed 9-speed DCT with an electric motor that applies its torque directly to the crankshaft for higher output with immediate power delivery to the rear wheels.

The NSX will be manufactured exclusively at the Performance Manufacturing Centre (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, where approximately 100 highly-skilled low-volume production specialists will conduct full body construction, paint, and final assembly.

Honda to have a number of premiere's at the 86th Geneva International Auto Show 2016.

• Global premiere of Civic Hatchback Prototype redefines Honda’s core European model
• Clarity Fuel Cell to make European debut
• European customer deliveries of NSX to start in 2016
• New Jazz concept turns on the style

Honda is set to unveil the next step in the renewal of its European car range at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, including the global premiere of the Civic Hatchback Prototype.

Civic Hatchback Prototype 

The Civic Hatchback Prototype receives its global premiere at Geneva Motor Show, previewing the exterior design of the all-new hatchback model, scheduled for a European launch in early 2017. Produced at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM), the car will be exported to global markets, including the US.

Clarity Fuel Cell 

The Clarity Fuel Cell will make its European debut at Geneva, following its global unveil at Tokyo motor show in October last year. Clarity Fuel Cell is the world’s first production fuel cell saloon to house the entire fuel cell powertrain under the bonnet. With a range of up-to 435 miles (700 km)*, the Clarity Fuel Cell achieves best-in-class range while its unique packaging allows an interior design to offer seating for five, a first for a fuel cell saloon. 

NSX 

Following the announcement of the start of customer sales in the US at Detroit motor show, Honda confirms the first European customer deliveries for the Honda NSX will begin in 2016. The NSX features classic low and wide proportions married to modern and alluring surfacing, an aggressive front design, and rear lights that pay homage to the original NSX. The new hybrid supercar has an all-new mid-mounted DOHC V6 engine with twin turbochargers mated to a specially-developed nine-speed DCT.

Jazz ‘Keenlight’ Concept 

Honda will also demonstrate a new design concept model of the popular Jazz. The new Keenlight concept seeks to highlight the potential for customising Jazz, using sleek design elements, special decals and a unique colour named ‘Keenlight’.

CRF1000L Africa Twin 

Inheriting the “go anywhere” spirit of its celebrated predecessors, the all-new CRF1000L Africa Twin packs an innovative and powerful parallel twin-cylinder engine into a lightweight, agile chassis ready for true adventure both on and off road, whether crossing continents or commuting.