Honda to pull out all the stops to support the CarFest 2015 events in Cheshire and Hampshire.

• Cars, stars and interactive treats galore from Honda at CarFest
• Racing fans challenged to prove they can be ‘King of the Hell’
• Activities for all ages, from five-year-olds to the young-at-heart

Honda (UK) is pulling out all the stops at Chris Evans’ two charity-focused CarFest events this summer, bringing along stars and cars, two-wheeled thrills and a range of crowd-pleasing entertainment and displays.

CarFest is the brainchild of popular Radio 2 presenter and new Top Gear host Evans, raising vital funds for BBC Children In Need via a family-oriented, high-octane blend of fast and exotic cars, celebrity cameos and live music from some of the hottest acts around.

Honda played a leading role last year and will return in 2015 to both CarFest North at Oulton Park in Cheshire (31 July – 2 August) and CarFest South at ex-Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter’s Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire (28-30 August).

A full Honda stand will showcase the company’s refreshed and exciting product range, including the Civic Type R, Civic Sport, Civic Tourer, HR-V, CR-V, Jazz and – straight from the brand’s award-winning Goodwood Festival of Speed stand – the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 in a box, as driven by F1 World Champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Highlighting Honda’s expertise on two wheels as well as four, ten motorcycles will be on display, whilst the ‘King of the Hell’ Xbox roadshow roars into town, offering festival-goers the chance to win a brand new Civic Type R for a year by setting the fastest time around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife in a state-of-the-art simulator.

Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, the 12.9-mile Nordschleife is regarded as the most challenging and daunting circuit in the world, with each lap comprising no fewer than 154 corners, large bumps, cambers and surface changes.

The British-built Civic Type R – Honda’s ‘Race Car for the Road’ and the most extreme and high-performing model ever to wear the acclaimed ‘Red H’ badge – set a new front-wheel-drive lap record there last year, and in celebration of its arrival in UK dealerships, fans are invited to test their mettle by getting as close as possible to that impressive benchmark.

Honda Yuasa Racing Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal – currently sitting first and third in the title standings, with Honda comfortably atop the manufacturers’ table – will perform high-speed demonstration runs behind the wheel of both the BTCC race car and road-going Civic Type R at CarFest North, before returning to the track in the Civic Type R at CarFest South.

Honda’s latest Robot mower – Miimo – will be a working display in the Honda activity centre and will inspire a unique children’s drawing activity, whilst many of last summer’s favourites make a welcome return.

My First Licence is a mini-motorbike taster session that introduces 5-to-11-year-old non-riders to the exciting world of motorcycling on restricted 50cc Honda CRF50 bikes in a safe, controlled and fully supervised environment, complete with helmets and kneepads and culminating in the presentation of their own special licence.

The ATV Experience on Honda’s TRX420 continues the fun yet educational theme, teaching older teens the inside line on throttle control, slaloming, overcoming obstacles and balance. The ride-on lawnmowers for 16-year-olds and above, meanwhile, generated hilarious head-to-head racing last year around a timed garden course, where lane control and garbage-grabbing were the orders of the day.

Last but by no means least, the innovative and interactive ‘Power of Lean’ experience will allow those brave enough to simulate Superbike-style knee-down riding, replicating the feeling of being at full power whilst almost horizontal to the ground!

Although most tickets have now sold out, there is still availability for Friday attendance at CarFest North.

Honda celebrates production the 300,000,000th motorcycle, in just 65 years.

Achieving a milestone more than 65 years in the making, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced production of its 300-millionth motorcycle. The milestone bike is a Honda Gold Wing produced at the company's Kumamoto Factory in Japan.  Honda will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Gold Wing in 2015.

Honda began mass production of motorcycles in Japan in 1949 when it built the Honda 98cc Dream Type-D.  Today, Honda produces motorcycles, ATV's and side-by-sides at 32 plants in 22 countries, including two plants in North America.

"This incredible milestone is the result of the millions of customers who have placed their trust in Honda and we would like to thank all of our customers, associates, dealers and community partners in North America for helping make it possible," said Bob Gurga, Vice President and Manager of Motorcycle Division for American Honda. 

"Now, we are focused on the future and the ways that we can harness the challenging spirit of Honda associates to create new joy for Honda customers."

In 1958, Honda introduced the Honda 50, known globally as the Super Cub, which would go on to revolutionize the industry.  This iconic bike paved the way for Honda's expansion into the U.S. in 1959 and Canada in 1969. The Super Cub, which has sold nearly 90 million units globally since its inception, was the focus of a mid-1960s advertising campaign, ‘You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda,' that played a major role in the transformation and growth of the U.S. motorcycle market.

In the 1960s, Honda became the best-selling motorcycle brand in the U.S. and the world, leading to the establishment of Honda of America Mfg. and the company's first U.S. production facility, the Marysville Motorcycle Plant.  The plant, which opened on September 10, 1979 in Marysville, Ohio, produced both motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) until 2009.  

Production of ATVs has since shifted to Honda of South Carolina Mfg. (HSC) in Timmonsville, South Carolina.

Since the start of production in 1979, Honda has manufactured more than five million power sports products in North America using global and domestically sourced parts.  Today, HSC manufactures FourTrax ATVs and Pioneer side-by-sides and engines, while the Honda plant in El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico, produces motorcycles.

Furthermore, the research and development of Honda ATVs and side-by-side vehicles for both local and global markets is now being led by a team of engineers at Honda R&D Americas – with Powersports R&D operations in Los Angeles, Ohio and South Carolina.

The successful startup of motorcycle production at Honda of America Mfg. in 1979 was soon followed by the auto production at the Marysville Auto Plant in 1982. Motorcycle production continued in Ohio until 2009 and planted the seeds of manufacturing expertise that has led to many Honda facilities across North America. 

Today, Honda operates 17 major manufacturing facilities in North America, producing a wide range of Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides, power equipment products and the HondaJet light jet.

Dacia and Yamaha combine to offer 2 4x4 vehicles for one amazing price.

• Dacia launches new ATV (All-Terrain-Vehicle) Pack for Duster. Allows any Yamaha Grizzly “quad bike” to be teamed with a trailer and towbar, fitted to the high-selling SUV, from £5,400 including VAT
• New ATV Pack aimed largely at agricultural community requiring off-road capability. Best-selling Pack combination is expected to be mid-range Duster Ambiance dCi 110 4x4 (£13,695) with entry-level Grizzly 350 AWD, costing £21,495 on-the-road (or more aptly, off it)
• Even more cost-conscious customers expected to opt for Access 4x4 (£11,095) with the same AWD quad bike ATV Pack for well under £20,000 (£18,895). Specifying the Grizzly 125 2WD version of the offer costs only £16,495
• ATV Pack is also available to existing Duster owners
• Duster with optional ATV Pack to debut at the hugely popular Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Mid Wales, 2-3 December 2013

Always fancied a quad bike, but never quite gone through with it? Then now’s your chance. On Monday, 2nd December, Dacia, the home of truly affordable 4x4s, is launching a unique off-roading duo at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair. An ATV (All-Terrain-Vehicle) Pack to go with a Duster, which includes a towbar and trailer fitted to it, plus a quad bike, from as little as £5,400.

The mud-plugging abilities of Duster are widely known, not least by the sizeable collection of 4x4 awards its racked up in less than a year on sale over here. Now Dacia’s looking to plough a new furrow with buyers in rural communities right across the UK.

Chances are a hefty proportion of buyers will end up using their new twin off-roaders for a little weekend fun. In fact, with up to 110hp on tap and weighing a relatively light 1294kg for its size, Duster’s chances against a quad bike in a muddy field drag race might not be quite as clear-cut as you might think. But, there’s a very good reason why they’ve been deliberately let loose at the show in Llanelwedd, which draws in hordes of visitors each year. Which is? The offer’s been cannily timed so that the ATV-equipped Dusters arrive bang on time to coincide with lambing season next February.

Chunky, tough and perfectly at home with the rough stuff, it was probably only a matter of time before Duster was hooked up with a quad bike. In fact, in Access trim, some could say the similarities run even deeper. No radio. Air con. Or, even alloy wheels. But it’s probably the most honest off-roader this side of a Land Rover Defender, wearing its fit-for-purpose style with pride.

Dacia’s flagship model is the perfect workhorse. Even so, just occasionally, its owners might hanker after something just as hardy, but a little more compact. Cue the ATV Pack. Available to buy through official Dacia Retailers, it comprises a Yahama Grizzly ATV, towbar and Ifor Williams P8e trailer with ramp, the offer can be tweaked perfectly to suit customer needs. Having said that, three combinations are expected to account for the bulk of orders. Firstly, the off-roading option, for both modes of transport. For £7,800 (including VAT), Duster customers, be they custodians of a 4x2 or 4x4 version, will be able to add a Yamaha ATV Grizzly 350 4WD. Teaming it with this country’s most affordable off-roader, Access 4x4 (£11,095), brings it in well under 20 grand. Or, £18,895 to be exact. The most popular option is expected to be the Ambiance dCi 110 4x4, combined with the same quad bike for £21,495.

At the other end of the price spectrum, the two-wheel-drive Yamaha Grizzly 125 can be hooked up as part of a £5,400 offer. Adding it to the entry Duster 4x4 for example, would mean a total outlay of just £16,495.

Ensuring that no owners miss out on the fun, the ATV Pack can be specified with any version of Duster, as well as both new and used. A full Yamaha dealer product handover and a free rider training course endorsed by EASI (European ATV Safety Initiative) are also thrown into the deal. Farmers, like all businessmen, will be able to claim back the VAT element of the ATV Pack. Sadly though, not on the car.

Dacia’s Duster SUV has been rigorously engineered to cope with challenging terrain and climates right across the globe. Backing up its go-anywhere ability, is Alliance partner Nissan’s 4x4 system with selectable three modes, 2WD, Auto or Lock. Allied to which is an especially short first gear that helps with hill starts, steep descents and towing.

In contrast, Yamaha’s Grizzly line-up, or quad bike to you and me, is Europe’s best-selling utility ATV range. Its 348cc engine (Grizzly 350) gives it an impressive turn of speed, plus it includes the proven On-Comand® 2WD/4WD system and a towing capacity of 500kg.

Dacia, the “smart buy” offshoot of Renault, has made an enemy of the unnecessary and makes a simple range of cleverly designed, high quality vehicles. Its jaw-dropping prices are clear and straightforward, whether you buy its cars online at the Dacia Store on www.dacia.co.uk or through your local dealer.