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Honda cuts Odyssey and Pilot production; makes room for more Civics

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda Pilot

Honda has got to be happy that it has a hot selling compact car to take some of the pain out of the slowing minivan and SUV markets. Hurt by the sky-high price of gasoline, both the Odyssey and Pilot, both recently redesigned, are sitting on dealers lots longer than Honda would like. In order to match production with consumer demand, Honda will close its plant in Lincoln, Alabama for two days next month and cut second shift production at the plant every Friday in August through October. Displaced workers can choose to take either unpaid time off or use paid vacation leave. Some of that unused capacity will be taken up by the Ridgeline, which will now be assembled at the Lincoln plant instead of in Ontario where it is currently being built.

The Civic, on the other hand, will see its production boosted at the East Liberty, Ohio plant and in Alliston, Ontario, where capacity will be available due to the Ridgeline’s departure. Score another point for Honda’s modular manufacturing techniques.

Lincoln books 8,600 preorders for MKS

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Lincoln MKS

The first 2009 Lincoln MKS is still a couple months away from arriving at your local Lincoln dealer, but Ford has announced that 8,600 customers have already signed up for the all-new sedan. The MKS has garnered this hefty dose of interest no doubt due to Lincoln’s new design language, its well-crafted interior and large number of high-tech gizmos, but Ford’s marketing team deserves some credit, too. They began their work announcing the sedan’s starting price of $37,895 way back in November during the L.A. Auto Show, then followed up by giving would-be customers early access to a build and price tool on the Lincoln website. The marketing team is also reportedly training dealerships to be knowledgeable about the MKS months ahead of the usual timetable, which has helped salesmen secure preorders for the vehicle sight-unseen.

Preorders traditionally happen for high-end trim levels of a model, and the MKS is no different. Sixty-five percent of the 8,600 preorders have been for the high-end “Ultimate Package,” which includes features like 19-inch rims, a THX audio system, and navigation system with Travel Link. An MKS with the Ultimate Package goes for $44,180, which means Lincoln’s making some money on the MKS before it even shows up for work.

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In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy HHR SS

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Chevy HHR SS

Our first experience with the Chevy HHR was back in 2006 when we rented one in Los Angeles while covering the 2006 L.A. Auto Show. Being a fleet vehicle, our HHR rental failed to impress with its raspy, underpowered Ecotec four-cylinder and cheap interior materials. The HHR does, however, have a way about itself. Its retro-inspired design is just plain good looking, better than the PT Cruiser to which this vehicle is most often compared (they were both designed by Brian Nesibtt, GM’s current Executive Director of its European design center), and its outward attractiveness shows even on bare bones rental units like the one we abused in L.A.

The 2008 Chevy HHR SS would seem to be the HHR we always wanted, with more power, an upgraded interior, aggressive tweaks to the exterior and the same two-box shape and clever cargo solutions that make the base model popular. But with the market for new car sales in the U.S. as soft as it is, should Chevy be spending its time making a high-horsepower, better handling SS version of a vehicle like the HHR? Read on to find out if their effort was worth it.

All photos Copyright (C)2008 John Neff / Weblogs, Inc.

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Hatchbacks, Saturn, OpelOver in Europe, midsize cars like the Opel Vectra, Renault Laguna and Ford Mondeo have long been offered in multiple body configurations including four-door sedans, station wagons and, of course, five-door hatchbacks. Unlike Americans, who for some reason are averse to a fifth body opening unless the vehicle rides 4 to 6 inches higher than it should, Europeans have always appreciated the extra utility. The Opel Vectra is being replaced this summer by the redesigned and renamed Insignia, but so far we’ve only seen photos (either spy pics or official GM shots) of the four-door sedan that will likely land here later next year as the next Saturn Aura. A sharp-eyed photographer, however, has captured what may be the first shots of the new hatchback Insignia. The five-door version doesn’t look radically different from the sedan, the main variance being the shorter rear deck that’s attached to the rear glass. Will the hatchback arrive as an Aura at Saturn dealers? Highly improbable, but then so was the Astra, so anything is possible. We more likely might just get a wagon version that we haven’t yet seen.