Most of the staff at DCH Gardena Honda are big fans of Facebook, who ISNT these days? We even have our own page for the dealerhip and we have fun posting cool stuff for our friends and fans. One of our favorite Facebook pages is the Honda page and we are all green with envy watching them edge closer and closer to a million fans! A MILLION! Honda is pretty proud and as well they should be, that is an amazing accomplishment.
From the Honda Press Release:
"We're honored to have one million Honda brand Facebook fans and we wanted to show our appreciation in a meaningful way," said Alicia Jones, social media strategist at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "How many people do you know who would carve someone else's name into their hair? We're so fortunate to have amazing and dedicated Honda brand fans. And, that's the kind of commitment our associates have to our fans. We really do love them back."
To see how Honda says thank you, including those noted above and more surprises, visit http://facebook.com/Honda and follow the daily updates during "We're Fans of You Too" Week.
This effort extends a series of feel-good surprises, known as "Honda Loves You Back," which have taken place during the past year on Facebook. Honda wanted to find ways to connect with fans and show appreciation to current Honda owners. Examples of "Honda Loves You Back":

• Surprising Honda owners by paying for their parking at a Honda Center sporting event
• Giving Honda owners a free car wash, free lunch, and even a free back rub in Atlanta
• Paying for Honda owners' parking at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif

To read more click here and also check out OUR DCH Gardena Honda Facebook page too! :)

Although car sales people ARE often referred to as sharks we here at DCH Gardena Honda like to think OUR sales people are certainly NOT sharks! We do however find sharks, the REAL ones, very fascinating and tomorrow evening some of us will be getting up close and personal with some. What does all this have to do with Honda you ask? Well, Honda just so happens to be a founding sponsor of the Aquarium of the Pacific and the summer Shark Lagoon Nights series starts tomorrow! Nice tie in eh? :) For the next few weeks on Friday's the public is invited to get up close with the ocean’s ultimate predators at the Aquarium of the Pacific for FREE during Shark Lagoon Nights. Guests will have the opportunity to touch bamboo sharks and see large sharks such as Sandtigers as well as rays in the Aquarium’s Shark Lagoon. Hours are from 6:00 until 9:00 pm, click here for more details and be sure to tell our friends at the Aquarium that you heard about Shark Lagoon Nights from us at DCH Gardena Honda!

College students can enter to win a 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe!
DCH Gardena Honda got word today American Honda has launched the Civic "Study Break" social marketing tour to promote the six all-new models of the 2012 Honda Civic at select universities on the West Coast. The tour, hosted on the Honda Civic's Facebook page, http://facebook.com/hondacivic, aims to connect with college students in a fun and engaging manner by providing them with the opportunity to explore the Civic lineup and the chance to win a 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe.
"The goal of the Civic 'Study Break' tour is to engage with young buyers and introduce them to the all-new Civic," said Tom Peyton, brand manager at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "It offers a unique and fun way for students to learn about the Civic's new interactive technologies and personalization features."
The Civic "Study Break" tour kicks off on April 21, 2011 at the Arizona State University campus and continues on to five other universities through May 12, 2011. Students will have the opportunity to explore various Civic models and receive a free lunch by texting special codes found on the vehicles. They can also register at www.civicstudybreak.com for the chance to win a 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe. The tour stops include: University of Arizona (April 28); University of Southern California (May 3); University of California, Los Angeles (May 5); Stanford University (May 10) and University of California, Berkeley (May 12). The 2012 Civic has arrived at DCH Gardena Honda and goes on sale April 20th, stop in today to get a look in person! :)

At DCH Gardena Honda we are used to telling folks how much Honda vehicles are in high demand, usually though we are referring to how many people are buying new ones. As it turns out Honda cars are in high demand in other aspects too. LoJack Corporation (NASDAQ: LOJN) today released its second annual Vehicle Theft Recovery Report, highlighting results from its 2010 recoveries that provide valuable information on the ongoing issue of vehicle theft. Honda's topped the list of imports, with the 2000 Honda Civic ranking as LoJack’s most stolen vehicle recovered! Luckily the percentage of theft drops drastically as the year of the vehicle gets newer with the increased anti theft technology that manufactures are and have been implementing in newer cars. We still recommend LoJack as a safety net to the factory security system though! For the whole list of most stolen vehicles click here, and to replace your older Honda with a new and more secure one stop in to see us at DCH Gardena Honda today! :)

While the following is an internal memo from the Honda corporate headquarters, we felt it was worth risking getting in a bit of trouble to share as it is pretty much optimistic news!

TO:   All Honda and Acura Automobile Dealers
FROM:  John Mendel
RE:   Production and Allocation Update
DATE:  April 15, 2011

While it seems like much longer, the massive earthquake that devastated Japan occurred just 5 weeks ago. Japan continues to struggle with the long process of reconstruction. In that context, the recovery made by Honda and other Japanese companies is remarkable. More than a thousand associates at the Honda R&D auto development center, which was heavily damaged, are back to work at alternate locations. At this time all Honda production locations that build vehicles for the North American market are up and running, though on a limited basis due to parts supplies.
Thank you again for your continued patience and understanding

This is indeed great news and gives us all here at DCH Gardena Honda very positive outlook for the coming summer months and we are also happy for those affected that are able to get back to work and begin rebuilding a great nation!

Quite a few of us around DCH Gardena Honda are parents and like most people with kids on the road we are all extremely concerned with our kids safety. In fact the entire DCH organization cares deeply for the safety of our kids and all kids on the road. To that end the DCH Auto Group has partnered with Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and their regional branches across the US. A dedicated web site has been put up and most of the dealerships in the group have adopted high school chapters local to them as well. Originally, the mission of the SADD was to help young people say "No" to drinking and driving. Today, the mission has expanded. Students have told us that positive peer pressure, role modeling and environmental strategies can prevent other destructive decisions and set a healthier, safer course for their lives.Each year SADD holds a national conference to educate and motivate members from across the country as they come together for a week of intense workshops, this years event will be at the end of June in Chicago. DCH Gardena Honda's adopted school, Leuzinger High School is hoping to send delegates to the conference and we here at the dealership are going to help make it happen! On Saturday, April 9th we will be hosting the DCH Gardena Honda 'Spring Clean 201' car wash fund raising event. Students from Leuzinger High will be here at the dealership washing cars while our sales managers work the barbecue, yes that means Free Food! There will also be music and tons of fun for all as we work to raise money for a great cause and awareness of teen safety and positive life choices. Please join us this Saturday, the recent rains have left everyone's cars grimy and in need of cleaning and you know you were gonna wash yours anyways so why not let us make it pretty and feed you at the same time!?! We hope to see you here and Thank You for your support! 

Without any good coverage of real sports this weekend, ie RACING! The staff around DCH Gardena Honda has been split between those few watching the b-ball and the rest of us sharing our favorite Honda racing stories from days past. One of our team members happened to say that he thought that it was a shame that Honda didnt race the Baja, we of course immediately responded with a loud but firm "au contraire mon frere!" We proceeded to not only explain Honda's long history in off road racing but also highlighted our lecture with the class win in last years Baja 100! From the Honda site: "Going into the 2010 43rd Score Baja 1000, Gavin Skilton and his team knew they had a distinct advantage. The 1,062-mile course was a high-speed affair, so the Ridgeline's Variable Torque Management® 4-Wheel Drive System (VTM-4®), and 4-wheel independent suspension really gave it a chance to shine. Gavin Skilton and co-driver Andy Grider piloted the Ridgeline race truck to victory, literally leaving their competitors in the dust. They covered the course more than 14 hours quicker than their closest competitor." We were happy to have cleared up this little misunderstanding and now look forward to this years Baja with even more fans among us! To see the amazing Ridgeline in person stop in today to DCH Gardena Honda and to read the rest of the coverage from the 2010 Baja 1000 click here! :)