1. Multi-unit Ownership The proof is in the pudding. The best indication that a franchisee is happy with his business is if he spends more money to purchase another unit or an additional territory. The logic is the same as why Honda has such a strong reputation in the car market. If your uncle Jeff has bought three Accords in a row, Honda must be doing something right.

For the most part, multi-unit owners start with one store which becomes so successful that the want a second and so on. In order to finance a second store, a lender will examine the first store’s cash flow. If a franchise wasn’t financially viable, it would be nearly impossible to open additional units.

Multi-unit ownership is also an indication of operational efficiency in a concept. With some franchises, there is so much work that is impossible for the franchise owner to focus on anything but day to day operations. The book, “The E Myth” talks extensively about this trap of getting stuck “working in your business” vs. “working on your business.” Even if you never plan to open multiple units, this is an important characteristic, because more likely than not, you would eventually like to retire or at least take a vacation one day.

Be wary of franchise owners who explain low multi-unit ownership by suggesting franchisees make enough money with just one unit. If there is one thing history has shown, people rarely decide they have “enough” money.

2. Proven Franchisor Track Record There are three items to think about when examining the franchisor’s track record. The first is an understanding of how much risk there is that the franchisor might go out of business. Unfortunately, many of the 2,500 franchise concepts available just won’t make it as sustainable businesses. If you purchase one of these concepts, you may lose much of your investment.

Second, the franchisor’s track record should give you an indication about the quality of the concept. Did the franchisor own several successful stores for many years before deciding to franchise his concept or did he just decide one day that there was good money in franchising so he better come up with a concept.

Third, franchisors with longer track records have more established training and support programs. While you might save a few thousand dollars buy getting into a franchise early, chances are you won’t get much for your investment. New franchisees haven’t had the time to put together development support or training programs or marketing campaigns. Also, if you are one of the first buyers, you are the guinea pig which often means more risk. Maybe a new food concept works great in a mall food court or maybe it doesn’t? Wouldn’t be nice if you weren’t the one who had to run the experiment?

3. Strong, independent franchisee association Unfortunately, the unspoken reality is that the franchisor’s and franchisee’s interests aren’t always aligned. Eventually, there will be disagreements over finances, marketing programs or development issues. Knowing that issues are sure to arise, it is helpful to know that you will have an organized group of franchisees who can relate to your situation. Independent associations have many benefits. In addition to creating leverage for the purpose of negotiating with the franchisor, an association also can improve communication among franchisees. Independent associations also allow members to pool resources to hire competent professionals such as lawyers or financial advisors or marketing consultants. Finally, like with any organization, a collective, institutional memory is created. The AFA has an excellent article on associations on its site

It is also a negative sign if the franchisor goes out of its way to discourage an association. It usually means that the franchisor does not have the franchisees best interests in mind and is afraid of having to deal fairly with franchisees.

In addition to independent associations, franchisees may also develop a co-op to purchase goods at a discount or control a portion of the system’s advertising budget or develop a lobby group for a specific issue. All of these our good signs.

Is such a half-breed a car, or is it a truck? While some crossovers, especially the larger ones with three rows of seats, are more SUV-like, this one appears closer to a car. As far as government classification goes, the signals are mixed: for emissions and fuel economy testing, the EPA sees it as a passenger car. For safety certification, NHTSA calls it a truck.

Honda calls it a “five-door, five-passenger premium CUV” and offers it in two models: a well-equipped EX (just over $30,000, including destination) and an upscale EX-L (about $33K). “Real-time” four-wheel drive adds $1,450 and voice-activated navigation with a rear-view camera, another $2,200, but both are available on the EX-L only.

Standard on the EX are dual-zone automatic air conditioning; 360-watt, 7-speaker audio with a 6-disc CD player; easy fold-down 60/40 split rear seats; 225/65 R17 all-season tires on alloy wheels; a power moonroof; steering-wheel audio controls; auto-off projector beam headlights; fog lights; rear privacy glass; and a hidden removable utility box.

The EX-L adds leather-trimmed seats (heated in front), steering wheel and shift knob; memory mirrors and driver-side seat; 225/60 R18 all-season tires; auto-on/off headlights; a cargo privacy cover; a HomeLink transmitter; premium speakers and a USB audio interface.

How much of this Crosstour is Accord under its skin? Honda says roughly 60 percent of its parts are shared with the sedan, including the chassis and powertrain, the instrument panel and most of the interior. That chassis incorporates fully independent double-wishbone front and rear-multilink rear suspensions, both slightly upgraded for the taller, heavier Crosstour. Notable among those upgrades are rebound springs inside the front shocks to improve handling and reduce body roll, two-piston front brake calipers and bigger rear rotors.

The only available powertrain is the Accord’s 271-hp 3.5-liter i-VTEC SOHC V-6 coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission. This award-winning engine uses Honda’s exclusive Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) cylinder deactivation system to enhance fuel economy by shutting down two, or at times even three, cylinders when it’s lightly loaded. The electronically controlled 5-speed automatic is smooth but slightly less fuel-efficient than the latest 6-speeds offered by GM, Ford and others. The 2WD Crosstour is EPA-rated at a respectable 18 city/27 highway mpg and the 4WD EX-L at 17/25.

The two interior color choices are charcoal black with a black instrument panel or ivory with a two-tone (black upper, tan lower) instrument panel, both with tasteful faux wood accents. To quiet the cabin, a new Active Sound Control (ASC) technology uses the audio system to acoustically minimize engine noise. There is 25.7 cu. ft. of cargo room behind the 60/40 rear seats; and, folding them down increases the area to 54 cu. ft. Access to it is easy thanks to a large tailgate opening and a low lift-over height. Three other handy features are twin levers that quickly fold those seats flat into the floor, carpeted lids that flip over to create easy-to-clean plastic surfaces and a hidden 1.9-liter storage box with handles for easy removal.

If you’ve driven an Accord sedan, you’ll feel right at home in a Crosstour. Honda engineers have compensated well—via specific spring rates, shocks and stabilizer bars—for its modestly increased size and the potential of added cargo weight. Unladen, it rides and handles about as well as the somewhat agile yet compliant sedan. Its brakes are suitably strong and fade-free, but its constant-ratio steering is somewhat slower at low speeds compared to the sedan’s variable-ratio system.

With six inches of ground clearance, this is no off-road crawler, but the available fully automatic Real Time 4WD system improves its bad-weather and off-pavement capabilities by sending power to the rear wheels when the fronts begin to slip. The 5-speed automatic can be manually shifted, and its new downshift rev-match feature smooths manual downshifts.

Standard safety features include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist. The comprehensive restraint system includes dual-stage, multiple threshold front airbags; driver’s and front passenger’s side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor; and active front seat head restraints.

This new 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour slides neatly between Honda’s Civic-based CR-V compact crossover and its larger, more truck-like (Accord-based) Pilot CUV and competes directly with Toyota’s similar Camry based Venza and Nissan’s Altima-based Murano. Call it what you want but seriously is a very interesting new entry in the increasingly crowded crossover field.

In the Honda plant in Marysville Ohio, a new concept was born. The Honda Accord became the first Japanese car to be made in a United States facility. That plant in Marysville is still up and running and producing Hondas in a large way. The plant is now a much larger mass production facility.

When you look at the newest models of the Honda Accord you are sure to see pure luxury. The smooth sleek style of these cars will surely make you want to purchase one today. There are several types of Honda Accords that are being made today.

The two door Accord is the first that we will cover. This coupe comes equipped with a manual transmission in most cases. If you are a family that can fit comfortably into a vehicle that has only two doors, this vehicle may be the right choice for you. If you feel like you may need a larger vehicle, Honda has a larger Accord for you.

The next type of Accord is the four door Accord or Sedan. The four door sedan is a great value for the price. The interior provides a lot of room for every passenger. It offers the two back doors to make entry and exiting the car a much easier experience. If you belong to a larger family, this sedan may be the choice for you and your family.

The last of the Accords is the five door wagon. This vehicle is great for transporting items or family to almost anywhere. It is very spacious and has a smooth yet powerful engine. You are sure to enjoy this vehicle and all of the amenities that it provides.

If it is time for you to make your next automobile purchase, be sure to check out all that Honda has to offer. The Honda Accord is considered one of the most reliable vehicles in its class and is very sleek and stylish. It is available in many different sizes and models so there is sure to be one that will fit your needs.

And merely knowing their physical and functional attributes would certainly make one long and want to take them all home.

For quite some time, people’s palate on cars have remained simple. During the past few decades, car owners were generally almost unmindful about the aesthetic values of their cars. For them, what mattered was the function and usability of their cars.

But because the car industry has been growing at rapid and amazing proportions, industry players also sprouted and proliferated at fast rates.

Thus, when the German, United States and Japanese car manufacturing giants began the tight race to dominate the global market for cars, all the aspects of the car were given profound and much focus.

Those car makers began their respective strategic attacks by overhauling the modern car design. Later on, physicists justified the measures, saying the latest car designs were somehow helping to ease and maintain speed and son on, the technicalities of which will have to be discussed separately.

Hybrid cars

Because the traditional cars posed problems and concerns over environmental impact and gasoline consumption, the emergence of hybrid cars went on.

Hybrid cars were actually a spin off or an integrated version of the electric and the traditional gas-powered cars. The electric vehicles were the first of car makers’ attempt to resolve the rising need to cut gasoline consumption of cars.

Because gasoline prices are ever so volatile during the current times, car manufacturers aimed to lure more customers and boost sales by developing cars that would trim if not totally eliminate gasoline consumption, with certain and realizable hopes that the efforts would be create a widespread and ‘hot-cake’ patronage.

The electric cars failed on its part because the setbacks from operating the cars are far greater than the functionality and usability. But the hybrid vehicles were made to save the day.

The hybrid vehicles were created in such a way that the outstanding features and functions of the traditional gas powered vehicles were integrated and made complementary with those anchored by electric vehicles.

Efficiency

The new hybrid vehicles were made extraordinarily efficient that gasoline consumption of cars were really cut down and trimmed while maintaining the same speed and mileage capacity.

Experts say hybrid cars are also made more efficient because of several factors, including more efficient and smaller engines, regenerative braking features, periodic shutting off of the engine, advanced aerodynamics characteristics, tires that are low-rolling resistant and the lightweight materials used in the assembly of such cars.

New hybrid cars models

In North America alone, the market for new hybrid cars are rapidly and greatly expanding. It is because economists say that the inhabitants of the region tend to be more conscious about the impact of higher oil prices to the overall economy and to each of the citizens.

Thus, although hybrid cars are naturally and logically more expensive compared to the traditional counterparts, sales of such cars are ever so rising and accelerating in the region.

In fact, car industry lobbyists and sales people, reiterate and state the significant and robust car sales and revenue generated by companies from the sale of the following new hybrid car models:

- Mercury Mariner - Toyota Highlander Hybrid - Lexus 400h hybrid - Ford Escape hybrid - Toyota Prius - Honda Insight - Honda Accord hybrid - Honda Civic hybrid

Consumers in the region are ever so thankful that car manufacturers have answered the calls for the development and launch of new hybrid cars, which would significantly help reduce gasoline costs and pollution impact to the atmosphere.

There are many new hybrid car models that are on the offing and ready for launch. But car makers are surely waiting for the perfect timing, to ensure profitability and warmer consumer reception and patronage.

Years from now, your problem will be, what new hybrid car model to purchase. Take that word.

Honda SIEL introduced its new version of City ZX with four variants i.e. ZX VTEC, ZX EXI, ZX GXI and ZX CVT. Honda City ZX is one of the stylish sedan with sophisticated and trendy exterior. It boasts marvelous interiors - luxurious and relaxing.

The vehicle has good maneuverability which suits the Indian roads. It has a very good front suspension with unique lateral force canceling spring and H-torsion beam at the rear enhances stability and comfort. The AC system is also at the top of its class. Honda City ZX EXI is a smarter version of City equipped with great features.

The efficiency of Honda City ZX EXI is in the inclusion of four cylinders which pump in maximum oxygen for power production. This car’s 1497cc SOHC engine throws out power of 78PS at 5500rpm and an average torque of 125Nm at 2700 rpm. This process with the help of an efficient fuel system helps one to run highway stretch of 16.2 kmpl.

Honda City ZX EXI is an innovation packed with features such as electric power steering with tilt, power door lock, childproof rear door locks, central door lock switch, Door Ajar warning light and a lot more. Honda walks the extra mile to assure safety of those using Honda City ZX EXI car as it does include Anti-lock Braking System with brake assist, ECU Immobilizer System, G-CON and Dual Front SRS airbags.

Honda City ZX EXI presents a splendid design evident through its Body colored bumper, New Front Chrome Grille, New 3D multi-reflector Headlamps and New tail light cluster. Interiors done in two tones of gray look classy with Center Console Panel and Switch Panel designed with gray metallic finish. Honda City ZX EXI had been engineered with excellent suspension and front fog lamps, making it a tough player on rough roads.

This car lets one enjoy smooth city drive. To ease our driving experience, it is armed with front as well as rear suspension. Moreover, it needs to improve on its pick up and fuel consumption. Honda City ZX EXI is a good choice for those who like to drive at a stretch. Besides, it is slightly over priced. The color variants are Alabaster Silver, Galaxy Grey, Nighthawk Black, New Warm Silver, Royal Ruby Red, Tafeta White, and Bluish Silver (VTEC).

Honda City ZX EXI zest for creative expression is evident through its Body colored bumper, New Front Chrome Grille, New 3D multi-reflector Headlamps and New tail light cluster. Interiors done in two shades of gray look classy with Center Console Panel and Switch Panel designed with gray metallic finish. It is designed in a marvelous manner.

The Japanese car companies have always been given credit for their remarkable ability to both recognize the future and plan for it. From the small Honda Civic in the 1970s to the Toyota Prius, the companies have always been a step ahead of the rest of the car companies in the world. Unfortunately, the big three in America proved to have no ability in this area. Regardless, Honda is making another move that should be an eye opener.

The company is making a not so subtle move to move most of its vehicles to a hybrid option. This option is actually an expanded version of what we now see. There will be gas/electric models like the Insight, but also plug in variations. Honda is known to spend an absolutely fortune on alternative energy research and there is some conjecture that cars with solar panels built into them may be coming down the line.

The internal components of the Honda hybrids are also advancing at rapid pace. The Honda Insight already comes with a continuously variable transmission. This transmission replaces the heavy, traditional gear teeth based transmission with a metal push-belt approach. The belt runs between pulleys and is continually adjusting to maximize torque and/or fuel efficiency depending on the driving conditions of the car.

The move by Honda to go all in on hybrid technology may look a bit reckless, but is it really? There is little doubt tighter emission regulations are coming. Combined with increased gas prices, there seems to be little reason to believe that hybrids will become the primary vehicle of the future.

Hero Honda’s after-sales and service network is much envied by its competitors, and is spread all over India. The company also has a special Customer Relationship Management initiative called the Hero Honda Passport Program. This program has over 3 million members and has helped Hero Honda understand and deliver value to its customers.

Hero Honda also takes its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) very seriously. In this regard, it has set up the Raman Munjal Memorial Hospital, the Raman Munjal Sports Complex, a school and an adult literacy centre at the local level in Dharuhera, Haryana.

Even though it is at the premier position in India two wheeler market segment, Hero Honda is constantly working towards consolidating its position in the market place through new models and innovations in its products. The company’s core values as an environmentally conscious, quality and safety driven enterprise are what drives it towards customer satisfaction.

The company believes that behind its success is team work and the role played by their joint venture partners, Honda Motor Company, Japan, and their business associates, shareholders and employees.

If you want a comfortable, accommodating, sleek car, go in for the used honda showroom. For years, this has been a family vehicle that’s comfortable and cool!

When looking for a used Honda you have the option of either searching dealers or private buyers. You might get more of a choice if you go with a dealership especially if you have not got a fixed make and model in mind. However, the prices for used Hondas are usually dearer and you might get a cheaper bargain by searching with private sellers.

Dealership agencies specializing in used Honda cars offer a variety of additional benefits, insurance and guarantee. You could select from a diversified range of quality cars to get the one that best suits your budget and needs.

Before buying your used Honda car, take it for test-drive to check the performance. Make sure you don’t get odd sounds when you start and hold the engine. Check the body of the vehicle thoroughly to make sure there are no dents, difference in paint and scratches. If you can, take an experienced car mechanic with you when you test drive the used Honda. He’ll be able to pinpoint problems if any. It’s important not to judge a used car by its appearance alone.

Not everyone , can afford to buy a new car. Used Honda cars are almost as good. Just make sure you buy from a reputable dealer and the car is in good condition. The Internet’s a good place to look for your used Honda car. You’ll soon find that once you become a Honda owner, you’ll not want to give other cars a second glance!

In October 1946, Soichiro Honda established the Honda Technical Research Institute in Hamamatsu, Japan. The goal was to develop and build small 2-cycle motorbike engines. Two years later, Honda Motor Company, Ltd. was created. Honda’s first US storefront opened in 1959 in Los Angeles.

Honda’s first production automobile was the T360 mini pick-up truck. The first production car from Honda was the S500 sports car.

Chronological highlights of the history of behind Honda cars as reported by world.honda.com include:

1963Honda’s first sports car (S500) and light truck (T360) released. 1966Sales and export of S800 begin. 1967Front-wheel-drive minicar, N360, released. 1968Export of N360 and N600 begin.

1971Life minicar released.

1972Civic released.

1976Accord CVCC (1600cc) released.

1978Prelude released.

1981City released. 1985Today minicar and Legend released. Quint Integra released.

1986 Honda expanded into the luxury automobile market with the creation of the Acura brand

1989Accord Inspire released.

1990NSX sports car released. 1992Worldwide automobile production reaches 20 million units. 1994Odyssey released.

1995Worldwide Civic production reaches 10 million units. CR-V sports utility vehicle released. Worldwide automobile production reaches 30 million units.

1996Step WGN (Wagon) released. 1999Honda S2000 sports car released. Lagreat Canadian-made minivan released. Insight hybrid released.

2000Life Almas, first minicar with features for the physically challenged, released. Stream minivan released.

2001Fit released. Civic Hybrid released.

2003Honda becomes first Japanese automaker to produce 10 million cars in the U. S. New Odyssey released.

2005Ridgeline next-generation truck released in U.S. American Honda Motor begins sales of Phill, the first home refueling appliance for natural gas vehicles. Leasing of FCX fuel cell vehicle for home use begins. Worldwide sales of Honda hybrid vehicles reached 100,000.

2006Zest unveiled. Performance of next-generation fuel-cell car FCX Concept demonstrated.

2007Crossroad released.

In August 2008, Honda surpassed Chrysler as the 4th largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. Currently, Honda is the second largest manufacturer in Japan behind Toyota and ahead of Nissan.

Honda increased global production in September 2008 to meet demand for small cars in the U.S. and emerging markets. Due to the current global crisis, the company is now rearranging U.S. production to keep operations functioning, while building fewer minivans and sport utility vehicles.

Honda introduced the second-generation Insight in its home nation of Japan in February 2009. The U.S. market received the new Insight in April 2009. Honda expects to sell 200,000 of the vehicles each year, with half of those sales in the United States. Since 2002, Honda has been selling the Honda Civic Hybrid (2003 model) in the US market. It was followed by the Honda Accord Hybrid.

The history of Honda Cars has been filled with many achievements. With the current economic slow down, Honda is making necessary adjustments to its business structure to ensure its future success.