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Car Maintenance Tips & Tricks : How to Restore Cloudy Headlights

Cloudy headlights can be restored in a very specific way. Find out how to restore cloudy headlights with help from an expert in the automotive industry in this free video clip.

Honda, Lexus Are Tops In Perceived Quality; Ford, Hyundai Improve

When it comes to perceived quality -- that is, how consumers view brands, based on personal experience and word-of-mouth -- Honda and Lexus are at the top of their game. That's according to ALG, a California-based company that has been predicting valuations in the automotive industry for almost 50 years.  

In the spring of this year, ALG interviewed asked roughly 4,000 consumers to share their opinions of both mass-market and luxury car brands. Participants told ALG a bit about their familiarity with each brand and assigned those brands a score of 0 to 100.

Mass-market rankings

On the mass-market front, Honda scored an impressive 81.3 points, though Toyota came in a very close second at 80.1.  Six other brands scored above the industry average of 59.1, most of which were Asian marques:

Subaru (71.1)
Ford (70.5)
Nissan (70.2)
Volkswagen (69.6)
Mazda (64.0)
Hyundai (62.3)

At the other end of the scale, five brands scored below the 50-point mark. Unfortunately, three of the five are owned by Chrysler:

Chrysler (49.1) 
Dodge (48.8) 
Suzuki (48.1) 
Fiat (44.5) 
Smart (39.6)

It's worth noting, however, that Ford and Hyundai may be the big winners in ALG's survey, since public perception of both has soared over the past several years. According to ALG, Ford’s perception of quality has jumped about 37% since 2008, while Hyundai's score has surged 25%.

ALG also gives a shout-out to Dodge, Fiat, Kia, and Scion. Eric Lyman, ALG’s Vice President of Residual Value Solutions, says that "Kia and Dodge are great examples of perception improvement based on product and marketing.... Both brands have launched exciting new product and impactful messaging. While they both face significant history to overcome, consumers are beginning to recognize their improvement."

Luxury rankings

In the luxury segment, things were slightly more competitive. Lexus was the clear winner, but the slope down to the luxury average of 71.2 was pretty gradual:

Lexus (85.4)
Mercedes-Benz (82.9)
BMW (81.5)
Porsche (80.0)
Acura (78.2)
Infiniti (77.6)
Volvo (75.7)
Audi (74.2)

And below deck:

Cadillac (67.2)
Lincoln (67.0)
Land Rover (60.4)
Jaguar (58.8)
Alfa Romeo (56.2) 

Perhaps the most interesting part of this study comes at the end of ALG's report, where the firm explores the relationship between familiarity, ownership, and perception of brand quality.

For example, survey participants seemed largely unfamiliar with Smart, but felt that it wasn't a quality brand. On the other hand, consumers weren't all that familiar with Alfa Romeo either -- perhaps because it's not sold in the U.S. yet -- but scored it 15 points higher.

Apple adding a new button to your car, will activate Siri

Apple's 2012 Worldwide Developer's Conference keynote is winding down as you read this, and while many car enthusiasts could care less about the next version of iOS or the MacBook Pro's new Retina Display, they will probably care about one piece of news just delivered by Apple's VP of iOS Software, Scott Forstall: Apple is going to add a new button to your car.

Called Eyes Free, it's basically just a steering wheel-mounted button that will activate Siri on the iPhone or iPad (yes, they announced Siri is coming to the new iPad, too) you have with you in the car. Likely paired over Bluetooth, Eyes Free will let you talk to Siri through the car, giving you access to a wealth of information without using both your eyes and hands (except for that initial button press). And since this is Apple, automakers are apparently lining up to add Siri buttons to their steering wheels. Apple reports that BMW, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda are all signed up to start offering Eyes Free within the next 12 months.

We find it curious that GM has chosen to participate, considering that what Siri offers is not at all unlike what the automaker's subscription-based OnStar service provides. Conspicuously missing from the list of on-board automakers is Ford, whose Sync infotainment systems are all based on Microsoft-branded technology.

Honda Solar Panels Help Power New Aquarium of the Pacific Penguin Habitat

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., founding sponsor of the nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, is providing Honda solar cell technology to help power the Aquarium's new June Keyes Penguin Habitat. The 11-kilowatt system provides a reliable supply of clean energy that is expected to reduce the Aquarium's reliance on grid-supplied electricity by more than 14,000 kilowatt hours per year. The new June Keyes Penguin Habitat opened to the public May 17, 2012.

This is the first public demonstration of Honda's solar panels in the United States. Honda currently has thin film solar panels installed in 22 Honda facilities worldwide -- including the company's motorsports engineering facility in Santa Clarita, Calif. and an auto manufacturing plant in Indiana. Honda's longstanding relationship with the Aquarium prompted this public debut. Since 1998, Honda has assisted with the Aquarium's important efforts for marine conversation, education and community outreach programs.

The June Keyes Penguin Habitat, a permanent new exhibit at the Aquarium, houses Magellanic penguins typically found near the southern tip of South America. Today, environmental issues are threatening their survival in the wild. The habitat includes educational exhibit panels and interactive touch screens where visitors can learn about penguins and why 75 percent of them are endangered or threatened.

Honda Says Electric Fit Beat Ford Focus to Top EPA Range Rating

Honda Motor Co. (7267) said U.S. government tests of its electric Fit hatchback show the car’s battery range exceeds that of competing rechargeable models including Nissan Motor Co. (7201)’s Leaf and Ford Motor Co. (F) (F)’s electric Focus small car.

The 2013 Fit EV, available only in California and Oregon this year, averages 82 miles (132 kilometers) per charge of its lithium-ion battery pack in combined city and highway driving in Environmental Protection Agency test results, Honda said in an e-mailed statement. The EPA rates the Leaf as averaging 73 miles per charge, lower than the Focus’s 76 miles and higher than the 62 miles for Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211)’s i-MiEV.

The Fit, whose availability will be expanded to other U.S. regions in 2013, is also faster in recharging than competing models as the small hatchback needs only three hours to get a full charge from a 240-volt electric outlet, Tokyo-based Honda said.

Automakers are adding electric and plug-in hybrid autos to their U.S. lineups to meet demand for vehicles that use little or no gasoline and to comply with rules in California. Honda, Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Nissan, Ford, General Motors Co. (GM) (GM) and Chrysler Group LLC have to sell a total of about 60,000 such vehicles from this model year through 2014, and more than a 1 million annually by 2025.

The Fit EV is currently available only as a leased model, with customers required to pay $389 a month, the company said in April. The annual cost of electricity to refuel the car should be about $500, Honda said in the statement.

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Next Honda Civic Type R spotted near 'Ring

It looks as if Honda may be working on a new Civic Type R for the European market. Photographers spotted this creation poking around the Nürburgring during test runs. With a prominent rear wing, larger exhaust outlets and more pronounced front aero work, the hatchback clearly has some sporting intentions. Odds are engineers have worked in a stiffer set of springs and dampers along with a more powerful four-cylinder engine. How powerful? Early estimates put the machine at between 220 and 230 horsepower, though there's no official word on the figure.

The car is clearly still in the early stages of development, so there's no telling what Honda may come up with in terms of styling, handling or performance. Even so, we have to say what we see here lacks much of the visual menace of the last-generation Civic Type R, so let's hope that Honda finds a bit more aggression for their hottest Civic.