f341cae8d65f4af2bec12738b61f201b 5c066bc2d03645fbace306e0887c2542
 
Picture
All during the online coverage of last weekends Pikes Peak Hill Climb we asked ourselves there wasnt a bigger Honda presence. The folks at HPD seem to have heard us!  From the HPD site: "Both Honda Performance Development (HPD) entries at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb made successful runs Sunday, as the racing division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., made its first foray in the "Race to the Clouds" with both a one-off HPD Desert Pilot and a production-based B-Spec Rally Fit. The HPD Desert Pilot features a power train co-developed by the engineers at HPD and the California Race & Rally team. Driven by veteran off-road racer Gavin Skilton, the Pilot completed the 12.42-mile run up the Pikes Peak course in 15 minutes, 37 seconds to finish eighth in the "Open" class." Read the whole scoop here. With their outstanding first time runs we are sure that Honda will return with an even bigger contigent next year and we here at DCH Gardena Honda cant wait!

Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
As an extension of the DCH Auto Groups commitment to Students Against Destructive Decisions, SADD, we here at DCH Gardena Honda have partnered with Leuzinger High in Lawndale and sponsor their SADD chapter. We have held fund raiser events here at the dealer ship with the efforts of many volunteers this weekend we are happy to be able to help four students along with their teacher/sponsor attend the SADD National Conference in Chicago. The event is organized and hosted by the SADD National Student Leadership Council (SLC), a group of highly motivated and enthusiastic student leaders from across the country. The SLC plays a major role in the nationwide success of SADD: members work directly with the SADD National staff on new and continuing projects while maintaining active leadership roles with their own local chapters. Our own Michelle Villanueva will be accompanying the group and will be coming back with a review of the conference activities and accomplishments so stay tuned here at the Honda Hangout for complete coverage! :)

Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
We love Honda's, we think thats fairly self eveident because we work here at DCH Gardena Honda! We also know that our customers love the Honda's we help them take home but what about the whole country, does EVRYONE love Honda the way we do? Well as it happens, JD Powers has just published the latest numbers that show that they do! From the Honda Press Release:
 "The Honda brand earned its best-ever ranking in J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) for 2011, finishing second among all surveyed brands, including premium makes, the company announced today. Honda also led the industry with seven models earning the highest initial quality ranking in their respective segments, including its top-selling Accord and Civic models.
The Acura brand finished third overall in the 2011 IQS.
In the manufacturing realm, the 2011 study recognized three Honda plants for superior quality, including Honda's newest U.S. auto plant in Greensburg, Ind. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, producing the Civic Sedan, was one of only three plants around the world to earn the Platinum Plant Quality Award. The Suzuka, Japan plant, line 1, earned a Silver Plant Quality Award, Asia Pacific (tie), for production of Civic and Insight, while the East Liberty, Ohio, plant took home a Bronze Plant Quality Award, North/South America, for production of the Accord Crosstour, CR-V and Element. Of the seven Honda models earning the highest initial quality score in their segment – the most segment leaders of any brand – five were manufactured in North America: the Civic (compact car); the Element (compact crossover SUV—followed by the CR-V in second place); the Accord (midsize car); the Accord Crosstour (midsize crossover SUV); and the Ridgeline (midsize pickup). Those five models were joined on the 2011 segment leader list by the Insight hybrid (compact car, tie) and Honda Fit (sub-compact car)."
Stop in today to find the Honda you will Love at DCH Gardena Honda, and to read the rest of the survey report click here. :)

Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
We have all been missing the drop top rocket that was the S2000 around here at DCH Gardena Honda, there is something top be said for sure about flying down the highway with the wind in your hair.... Just the other day we read that Honda will be re-inventing its much loved Honda Beat and assumed it would be like it was in its first generation, not available for US to drive but its looking like we may have been hasty! First broke by our good friend Woody on his site, now MotorTrend and even the mighty Jalopnik are reporting that the coming Honda Beat WILL indeed be US bound! Woo Hoo! The first time around the Beat was powered by a 660cc four and its drop top inspired many a coastal drive daydream. This time Honda has a world of technology and performance experience that should allow for and even more amazing lil roadster and we cant wait! Read the full scoop at MotorTrend here and for all the very latest car stuff check out Woodys site here. Of course to see what awesome rides Honda has for you today, just stop in to see us at DCH Gardena Honda! :)

Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
As many of us here at DCH Gardena Honda ready ourselves for the summer vacation season we talk a lot about the amazing Honda Pilot and how it usually tops OUR list for vacation vehicles, but we admit to being a tad biased! We are always happy to hear of others that share our love of Honda's and today we found a great review of the Pilot. G. Chambers Williams III writes for the Star-Telegram and he has some great things to say about our eight passenger family fav! I will let Mr. Williams sum it up with this; "if the 2011 Honda Pilot is on your list of models to consider, and you check it out first, you might not have to look any farther. It's arguably the best eight-passenger midsize crossover on the market..." Click this link here and read the whole post, its a great read! Then stop in to DCH Gardena Honda today to see the Pilot for your self, you might just be surprised how easy it is to put one in YOUR driveway! :)


Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
Working for a Honda dealership it nearly impossible for the staff here at DCH Gardena Honda to NOT be fans of auto racing! Honda's history starts with motorsports and its involvement continues stronger than ever. When standing around discussing racing, as we often do(!), the future of race cars is a subject of much debate. What will they look like, be powered by etc, its not just as amateur car experts that wonder about these things either. The folks that hold one of the most recognized and probably the most prestigious race around, the Le Mans 24 Hours, have also been considering the future of auto racing. For the second time they will be showcasing a special exhibition called "Le Mans vers le Futur" devoted to showing the fans of motorsports some conceived directions of future race vehicles. One of the cars to be driven around the famous track prior to the actual race starting will be the specially prepped CR-Z seen here. Honda's lil hybrid pocket rocket is already being used as a pace car as part of Speed ​​EuroSeries and this demonstration will show at least some of the potential for hybrids in racing. We LOVE going fast and if we can be somewhat environmentally conscious at the same time well then count us in! Read more about this project here, and to see the CR-Z in person stop in to DCH Gardena Honda today!

Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
The sexy, powerful Accord Coupe has always been a favorite around here at DCH Gardena Honda, more than one of our managers drive them as a matter of fact! Our simply gorgeous coupe has also caught the eye of one of the editors one of our favorite auto news sites, eGMCarTech. Knowing that Chris Chin drives and writes about cars for a living AND he choose the Accord as his daily driver speaks leagues in itself however he doesn't just leave his endorsement silent. His reviews are some of the best we have read and are more than worth the click through, I'll quote Chris with this appetizer... "as a whole package, no other alternative can match the balance in performance, economy and practicality like the Honda Accord Coupe can. Because it makes so much sense, it makes up for the quirky front-wheel drive characteristics. It’s no wonder that they’ve been the longest running contender on Car and Driver’s respected “10 Best List,” because the Accord very well damn deserves it." Nicely said Chris, nicely said! Now click here and read the whole thing and to see/drive the Accord Coupe yourself stop in today at DCH Gardena Honda! :)

Bookmark and Share
 
Picture
We sometimes like to fancy ourselves quite the 'super sleuths' around here at DCH Gardena Honda, mostly due to our incredible knack for finding ways to save folks huge amounts of dough on their new Honda although we admit we are no Jim Rockford or even Remington Steele! Honda loves a good investigator also and in fact a new online contest will reward the really good scavenger hunters with some awesome prizes! Today, "The Super Civic Quest," the most ambitious digital quest ever created, with 30 unique clues and seven unique pieces of custom content launches on the Honda Civic Facebook page. Players are uniquely rewarded for their clue-solving with Facebook® Credits and Amazon MP3 music downloads.  While taking part in the quest, players will get a look at the five new Civic vehicles, unlock badges, compete against friends and be able to enter for a chance to win two Honda Civics—one for them and one for their best Facebook friend. Facebook Credits rewards will be fulfilled by Wildfire, a leading provider of social media marketing software.
"We challenged RPA to reach and engage with our ultra-connected target through a fresh approach in social media as part of our Civic launch," said Alicia Jones, social media strategist at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The Civic quest is a colossal endeavor taking digital engagement to another level."  The quest leverages the five characters from the Civic campaign and centers around Cesar, the champion luchador. A video on the Honda Civic Facebook page and Honda YouTube channel tells how Cesar lost his Civic somewhere in the "interwebs" and needs help finding it. Players are then prompted to start the quest by accessing the app on the Honda Civic Facebook page. This custom-built game, produced with the help of Hooky Interactive, exposes players to a variety of original content, including an augmented reality game, gigapixel photo, a QR code and a video mosaic puzzle.
Clues will also lead players to websites such as Amazon, FailBlog, Flickr, Foodily, Foursquare, I Can Has Cheezburger, MyFonts, NOTCOT, Pandora, Threadless, Twitter, Yelp and YouTube.For all the details and complete info check the Civic Facebook Page or the Honda Press Release HERE. If you would like to see our sleuthing skills stop in today and let the staff at DCH Gardena Honda find every way possible to save you money on your new Honda! :)

Bookmark and Share