The new British built Honda Civic 1.4 i-VTEC SE has been recognised as representing the best value for money in the Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Awards, 2012. It not only came out on top in the competitive Medium Hatchback category on the basis that it offered better value than any of its competitors over a three year period, but it was also named as the overall Awards winner.

The new Civic which has only been in dealerships since February held off fierce competition to be given the number one spot based on figures collated by Parkers’ Cost of Motoring tool. This innovative tool calculates the true “hidden costs” associated with owning and running a new car, including fuel consumption, depreciation, servicing, breakdown cover and road tax over a three year period. In a further boost to the Honda range, the Jazz 1.3 IMA HE Hybrid was awarded the Eco Car category title for the second year running.

Kieren Puffett, Editor of Parkers, commented; The Medium Hatchback category is a hugely competitive market so to have a winner here is truly a tremendous achievement and that is why we are not only delighted to announce that the Honda Civic Hatchback 1.4 i-VTEC SE five door wins the Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Awards for the Medium Hatchback category, but is also the overall winner.

“The statistics for the Civic tell us it is great value for money and Honda should feel rightly proud, because the Parkers awards are based on statistical analysis of every new cars’ running costs, rather than opinion. But it doesn’t end there. The icing on the cake is that the Honda Jazz 1.3 IMA HE Hybrid wins for a second year in a row the Parkers Cost of Motoring New Car Awards Eco Car category. It’s an outstanding performance by Honda all round.”

Commenting on Parkers announcing the Honda Civic as the overall winner in the Cost of Motoring New Car Awards 2012, Dave Hodgetts, Managing Director of Honda (UK), said: “This is a fantastic result for the new Civic. It has only been in dealerships since February and to have received this accolade so soon is a great achievement. What makes the award even more special is that it is based on fact. Thanks to Parkers’ very clever cost of motoring tool, we can officially say that the new Civic is the best value new car out there! ”

Honda celebrates 500 new employees starting work as Swindon Plant introduces second shift

Speaking in December, Honda Motor Europe President Manabu Nishimae said Honda remained totally committed to building cars and engines in Europe with Swindon at the heart of Honda’s European manufacturing activities. This move to a two shift pattern on Line 2 represents a further step in HUM’s increased production activity, and coincides with growing demand for Honda’s new Civic family hatchback.

HUM Director, Andy Piatek commented, “I am delighted to welcome our new Associates. At HUM we are proud of the skills of our workforce and the quality and reliability of the products we build.”

New Honda Associate, Dan Smith, spoke about his excitement at starting work at Honda, “I am really looking forward to building the new Civic here at HUM. Over the past few months we have been through all kinds of training and now it’s finally time to get started!”

In addition to the new Civic and the successful Jazz, 2012 will also see the mass production launch of the new European CR-V and the introduction of a new small diesel engine, both of which will be produced at HUM.

To celebrate the start of spring and the launch of several new and hotly anticipated models, including the Crosstourer, NC700S and Integra, Lings Honda is pleased to announce its Win Big Weekend, taking place at Lings Honda Harleston, Lowestoft and Ipswich on the 14-15 April.

Visit your local Lings Honda dealership over the spring weekend to see and test ride* the latest additions to the Honda range, lining up alongside other dynamic 2012 models including the Vision 50, NC700X and the exciting new 20th Anniversary CBR1000RR Fireblade, as well as put yourself in the running to win one of many great prizes.

The superb prize pool includes Shark helmets, gloves, VIP BSB tickets, Mick Extance Off-Road Experience days, Honda clothing and merchandise, Ron Haslam Race School courses, Honda electric lawnmowers, 12 month subscriptions to a variety of magazines and much, much more. A detailed list of the full range of prizes can be viewed on www.honda.co.uk.

To be in with a chance of claiming a prize, simply visit www.honda.co.uk/winbig and fill in your details on the online registration form. You will then be sent either an email or text with your unique winning code, take this to your local Lings Honda dealer during the Win Big Weekend, to find out what you have won.

So whatever Honda you have your eye on, take a trip down to Lings Honda over the Win Big Weekend to see and test ride* the great two-wheel range and claim your guaranteed prize. For further details about the Win Big Weekend visit www.honda.co.uk/winbig or contact your local Lings Honda dealership.

Lings Honda Harleston – Lings Corner, Mendham Lane, Harleston, Norfolk, IP20 9DW. Tel : 01379 851090

Lings Honda Lowestoft – Lings Wharf, Riverside Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0TQ. Tel 01502 537444

Lings Honda Ipswich – 713 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 5TH. Tel 01473 272789

Opening Hours – Saturday 14th April 08.30am – 17.30pm – Sunday 15th April 10.00am – 16.00pm

* Subject to status and availability.

Honda today confirms that the CRF250L, revealed for the first time at the Tokyo Motor Show in November 2011, will go on sale across Europe during summer 2012.

The CRF250L is a true ‘dual purpose motorcycle’, combining ease of use for everyday life with the fun and capabilities of off-road riding. As such, it continues a long tradition of Honda machines, dating back to the XL250S of the late 1970s, and the entire XL range that followed.

Continuing the 250 lineage, the machine features a 249cc liquid-cooled DOHC single cylinder engine, contained within a twin-tube oval pipe steel frame and with an aluminium swing arm. Suspension comprises inverted front forks and ProLink rear unit. These features will be coupled with low running and maintenance costs, creating an attractive package for both novice and seasoned riders.

More information including full technical specifications and confirmation of price will be announced in the coming weeks. For further details on the latest offers available on Honda’s existing range of scooters and motorcycles, genuine parts, accessories and forthcoming events, visit your local Lings Honda dealer or call 01379 851090.

Pictured left to right are Ben Rice (Regional Manager, Honda UK), Mark Powell (Lings Motorcycle Sales Manager), Paul Barkshire (Lings Director), Chris Jary (Lings Managing Director), Ann Jary and David Jary (Lings Founder), Dave Hodgetts (Managing Director, Honda UK) and Graham Hawkins (Area Manager, Honda UK). Ann Jary is holding the specially-commissioned award in front of the 2012 Honda Civic.

Family owned car and motorcycle dealer group Lings has been honoured by
Honda this week with a specially commissioned award commemorating a unique 50-year
association with Honda, presented by Honda UK Managing Director Dave Hodgetts.
Established in 1946 by Soichiro Honda, the Honda Motor Co Ltd. produced its first
motorcycle to the Japanese market, the Dream D-type 2-stroke, in 1948, and by 1961 was
looking to make its mark on the worldwide market, starting in Europe. Looking for a
young, exciting dealer to take on the brand, Honda found exactly what they were looking
for in Harleston, Norfolk, when they met David Jary.
Becoming one of the first British dealerships to bring the Honda brand to the UK
market in 1961 was no easy decision for David Jary, then Managing Director of PFK
Ling Ltd. At the time British manufacturers were the established names on British roads,
offering a more traditional riding experience compared to the high-performance, sportsstyled
machines from the overseas manufacturer. Honda was more popularly known for
its racing machines after victories at the Isle of Man TT, rather than the everyday road
scooters and motorcycles Honda was selling in Japan.
This was to say nothing of the challenges inherent in bringing Japanese cars to the British
market in the mid-60’s – Lings was one of, if not the first, British dealership to stock
Honda cars – but it was still something of a gamble by Mr. Jary, who felt passionately
that UK customers would appreciate the sheer quality and reliability of the products on
offer.

Mr Soichiro Honda and Mr David Jary - Visit to Mr Honda's House Japan 1964

In hindsight of course, it was decision worth taking – 50 years later Honda cars and
motorcycles of all shapes and sizes are commonplace on our roads and Lings, now run
by Chris Jary, son of David, still enjoys an excellent relationship with Honda, stocking
and selling all core Honda brands – Cars, Motorcycles and Power Equipment – from a
group of dealerships based in Harleston, Lowestoft, Ipswich and Watton. Also stocking
Honda marine, garden and energy products, as well as maintaining the largest Honda
Genuine Parts warehouse in Europe, Lings is an exceptional operation in the UK and
Europe, and possibly even the worldwide Honda dealer network.
Speaking on presentation of the award, Mr. Hodgetts said it was a ‘privilege’ to be able to
offer his and Honda UK’s congratulations personally to owners David and Ann Jary and
Directors Chris Jary and Paul Barkshire, at Lings of Lowestoft, Europe’s Largest Honda
Brand Centre. After the presentation, Chris spoke of his pride in the co-operation
between the two companies, and how he was looking forward to celebrating another fifty
years with Honda.
‘It is almost incredible that it has been fifty years since Lings first began selling Honda
products’ said Chris. ‘We are always delighted by the fantastic support we receive
from Honda, and the excellent quality of the products they continue to develop and
manufacture. As a family owned and run business we are delighted to receive this one-ofa-
kind award. We are immensely proud of our uniquely close working relationship with
Honda UK and look forward to it enduring for many years to come.’
Lings dealerships can be found at Lowestoft (01502 537444), Harleston (01379 851090), Ipswich
(01473 272789) and Watton (01953 881285), and online at www.lings.com

Due to the recent heavy snow and more forecast for this weekend potentially the riding conditions are going to be very challenging and have decided that customers will not get the best experience when testing the new 2012 CRF range.

Dave Thorpe commented “It is very disappointing that we have had to reschedule this Sunday’s Honda try out day with Lings as myself and the Buildbase Honda team where very much looking forward to it. However I feel it is important that the event is held in the right conditions and we are looking forward to teaming up with Lings Honda again on Saturday 24th March.”

Mildenhall MX Track will still be open for practice on Sunday 12th February 2012 weather permitting but please call Moto Land UK on 01638 718667 before travelling.

For anymore information on the rescheduled event or to book a place please contact Lings Honda on 01379 851090.

Honda announces it will compete in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) with the Honda Civic.

“We have made a decision” said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito “to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic. We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge.”

For this project, Honda has formed a joint partnership with Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport. Honda R&D is developing a bespoke racing engine, while Mugen will manufacture and maintain it. J.A.S. Motorsport will develop the race car, using the new Honda Civic 5 door produced in Honda’s manufacturing plant located in Swindon (UK).

The racing engine is a 1.6 litre 4 cylinder direct injection turbo-charged petrol engine, developed in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations.

Racing has always been fundamental to Honda’s DNA. In the late 1950s Honda first entered the Isle of Man TT, taking the first win in 1961. Honda moved into Formula 1 in the 1960s and following this, began to capture many successes on the world stage on both two- and four-wheels, the most recent success being the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.

The FIA WTCC is the next chapter in Honda’s on-going commitment to world motor sport and provides a perfect platform to demonstrate its racing spirit to Honda’s numerous fans around the world.

Repsol Honda Team return to centre stage in Malaysia

The Repsol Honda Team, 2011 Triple Crown Champions, hosted the media at a Team Presentation in the Pan Pacific Hotel in Kuala Lumpur tonight with a press conference and welcome party.

After the winter break, team riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa returned to the media spotlight refreshed and eager to start the new season. Alongside them were HRC team bosses, Shuhei Nakamoto (HRC Executive Vice President), Hideki Iwano (Director, Assistant to Team Principal), Shinichi Kokubu (Technical Director) and Livio Suppo (Communications and Marketing Director). This was also the first opportunity for the media to see the new RC213V bike complete with 2011 World Champion, Casey Stoner’s number ’1′ emblazoned on the front.

The team arrived in Malaysia on Saturday and returned to the Sepang track on Sunday for the first time since Marco Simoncelli’s tragic accident in the race on 23rd October. As a mark of respect, the whole team visited the corner where Marco lost his life, laid a wreath of flowers and held a minutes silence.

This season the MotoGP world returns to 1000cc bikes and HRC head into the 2012 season determined to retain the World Championship.

CASEY STONER

“The off season has been really good, we got to go back home and spend some time with family and friends in Australia over Christmas which was great. Then we came back to Switzerland to get everything in order for the baby’s arrival, Adriana’s due in just a few weeks and so we’ve been preparing, as best possible! After such a strong season in 2011, we remain focused and don’t expect to be in top form immediately. I am sure Honda have done a fantastic job with the new 1000cc machine over the winter break and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike and seeing what we can do, hoping to start strong again. We know there will be a lot of serious competition out there, Ducati have been putting a lot of effort in as have Yamaha so it will be interesting to get out on track and see what everyone’s got. However, it’s early days and I think we’ll have to wait until the race in Qatar before we really know our competitors true pace and the package they have for 2012, but we’re ready for it”.

DANI PEDROSA

“It’s nice to be back with the team for the first Sepang test. I’m really excited to get on the bike again after the test we did in Valencia in November. Sepang is a good track for testing and we have still many things to discover out about the new bike. It’s been a long time since we were last riding and at the first test it’s always important to get the feeling back, the first sensations. We will have three long days here to work with the team and HRC and it’s necessary to be very focused in order to get good information to move forward for the second test. I guess the main target in this test will be to know the bike and the new Bridgestone tyres”.

SHUHEI NAKAMOTO – HRC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

“We start this new 2012 season with a clear target: to work stronger than ever to defend our MotoGP World titles in this new 1000cc category. We finished the 800cc era winning the triple crown and we will fight to win this again in 2012. We fully trust in our riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa to deliver this big challenge and we will give them all our technical and human support. The RC213V is an evolution of the last version of the RC212V based on the same concept. The machines we have brought here to Sepang are basically the same machines we tested in Valencia back in November with only a few differences. In fact, Casey and Dani will have one machine the same as Valencia, and the other one with a slightly different chassis, based on their own requests. This is the first time back to Sepang since we lost Marco Simoncelli last October, on Sunday we visited the scene of his accident and laid some flowers and said a final ‘Ciao’ to him. I believe by starting this season strong will be a fitting tribute to Marco”.

Lings Honda have teamed up with multiple world champion Dave Thorpe and the Buildbase MX team to bring you the opportunity to test your skills on a new 2012 Honda CRF.
We have organised a try out day at Mildenhall MX track on Sunday February 12th where you can receive expert advice from Dave Thorpe, the Buildbase MX team and the Bolddog FMX team. For just £40 you can have a whole days practice on your own bike and get the opportunity to try one of the new 2012 Honda CRF250F or 450F on the track.
Pre book your place to avoid disappointment and guarantee a ride on the new CRF by calling us on 01379 851090. The track will be open to ride from 10am to 3pm and the teams will be giving advice and helping out between these times.
Mildenhall MX Track
Hayland Drive
West Row
Bury St. Edmunds
IP28 8QL

Honda has sold more than 800,000 hybrid vehicles since the first generation Honda Insight hit the road in November 1999. Honda was the first manufacturer in the world to launch a hybrid model and the Insight delivered 83 miles per gallon* giving it the highest fuel economy among all petrol powered vehicles at the time.

Honda now sells seven hybrid models in 50 countries and they all come equipped with Honda’s original lightweight and compact IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system.

In the UK, Honda has sold more than 22,000 hybrids since the original Insight was launched in 2000 and the current hybrid line up now consists of the CR-Z, Jazz Hybrid and Insight.

Honda’s annual worldwide hybrid sales for 2011 was approximately 200,000 units (up 30 per cent compared to 2010), and Honda’s total hybrid sales during the last three years exceeded 500,000. In Japan, the ratio of hybrid vehicles exceeded 45 per cent of all new Honda vehicle registrations for the month of December 2011.