This is not really China-related, except in the sense that genuine technological advancement is something that China's motorcycle industry still seems incapable of doing.
Then again, even though it's Honda, it's hard for me to wrap my brain around a 25% performance improvement in the internal combustion engine, which, after all, has been around for maybe 130 years and has shown virtually no potential for such huge efficiency gains.
(It's really depressing to think that about 80% of the gas you put in your engine is wasted in the form of heat, rather than used for forward propulsion, and this has been consistent since the Model T. Even more depressing is the fact that "advanced" internal combustion vehicles come equipped with a special device -- the radiator -- whose sole intent is to wick away into the atmosphere the precious heat energy that was generated with 80% of the petrol you purchased and poured into your tank. I digress...)
cheers!
Quote:
Honda shows green scooter engine going on sale next year targeting global commuters
By Associated Press, Published: September 26
TOKYO — Honda has developed a new fuel-efficient motorcycle engine that will be used in a scooter that goes on sale globally next year.
Honda Motor Co. said Monday that the new engine for 125-cc scooters is 25 percent more fuel efficient than similar conventional ones.
It targets people who use scooters to commute not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asia and other nations, according to Tokyo-based Honda, which also makes the Odyssey minivan and Civic sedan.
Honda developed a series of little ideas that worked incrementally, rather than one major breakthrough, to reduce friction in engine parts such as new types of pistons as well as better control over combustion and improved electronic starters.
Honda did not give a price for the new scooter, but acknowledged that keeping prices low through cost cuts is the crucial challenge for the business.
Honda also said it was planning green technology for a bigger motorcycle engine that will be sold globally, but targeting especially Europe.
Honda did not say when the midsize motorcycle will go on sale. Details will be announced at the Milan and Tokyo auto shows next month, it said.
Honda has a strong motorcycle division and controls nearly half of the global market in commuter scooters.
That has helped drive growth and profits, compared to rival Japanese automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. that don’t have such businesses.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© The Washington Post Company
Quote:
Honda develops new fuel-efficient engines for 2-wheel vehicles
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Honda Motor Co. said Monday it has developed new fuel-efficient engines for scooters and medium-sized motorcycles to expand sales in the global market.
Honda, which aims to expand scooter sales in Southeast Asia, the world's largest two-wheel vehicle market, improved the fuel economy of the engine for 125-cc scooters by about 25 percent compared with that of conventional engines for scooters with the same displacement, it said.
The new engine for 125-cc scooters is also capable of being mounted on a variety of scooters with different wheel sizes, in addition to its enhanced durability and quietness, Honda said. The company plans to launch the engine globally from 2012.
"We have developed the new engine as a global standard engine with an eye to marketing it in Southeast Asia, which is the world's largest market, and advanced countries," said Honda Senior Managing Officer Tatsuhiro Oyama at a news conference.
Honda aims to produce more than 1 million units of the engine for 125-cc scooters, as it expects demand for such scooters will grow in Southeast Asia as well as Europe and Japan, it said.
The new engine for medium-sized motorcycles with displacement of 500 to 750 cc has a fuel economy exceeding 27 kilometers per liter and about a 40 percent improvement over other sports models in its class, Honda said.
Honda plans to manufacture the engine for midsize motorcycles at its plant in Kumamoto Prefecture and export finished motorcycles to overseas markets, Oyama said.
(Mainichi Japan) September 26, 2011
