Honda Motor Co

A federal judge has given tentative approval to the United Auto Workers' agreement with Ford Motor Co. on healthcare concessions. U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow also gave certain UAW retirees and their dependents class-action status in the case. From Associated Press * Honda Motor Co. may expand its factory in Alabama or add a new plant in North America to meet rising demand for its fuel-efficient models, Chief Executive Takeo Fukui said.

Honda Motor Co. is recalling nearly 8,200 model year 2004 motorcycles because of a computer glitch that could prompt their drivers to go too fast, federal safety regulators said. The program error causes the digital speedometer on some of the motorcycles to understate actual speed by about 25%, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. "This condition can result in the vehicle being driven at an illegal or unsafe speed," the agency said.

Toyota Motor Corp. has cut the base price of its Prius hybrid by $1,000 to help beat back competition from Honda Motor Co.'s gasoline-electric Insight. Honda started selling the new Insight on March 24 with a sticker price starting at $19,800, less than the $22,000 for the current base-model Prius. Toyota will offer a 2010 Prius for $21,000 later this year.

Honda Motor Co. recalled 651,809 cars, minivans and sport utility vehicles to fix an ignition system flaw that could cause the vehicles to roll after they've been stopped and the keys removed, a U.S. agency said. The recall affects 1997 to 1999 Acura sedans, 1998 and 1999 Accord sedans, 1999 Odyssey minivans and 2002 CRV sport utilities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Honda Motor Co., Japan's third-largest automaker, will become the sole supplier of car engines to the Indy Racing League and its Indianapolis 500 event next year after General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. left the series. Honda became an IRL engine supplier in 2003 and its engines have won 28 series races in three seasons. Honda-powered cars won the Indianapolis 500 in 2004 and this year. Honda's U.S. sales office is based in Torrance.

Honda Motor Co. began building a $15-million design studio in Torrance to strengthen its premium Acura line. The company also said it was about to open an "advanced concept" design center nearby in Pasadena. Tokyo-based Honda broke ground at its U.S. headquarters in Torrance for the first stand-alone design center for the brand. The facility, which is to open in 2007, will develop cars and light trucks with looks to distinguish them from the Honda brand, said Dave Marek, Honda's U.S.

Honda Motor Co., Japan's third-largest auto maker, and its U.S.-based sales arm is being sued by a rival who claims Honda has monopolized the market for replacement parts for its automobiles. Honda and American Honda Motor Co. allegedly overcharged Honda dealers for replacement service parts while locking out competitors, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by Europacific Parts International Inc. in Newport Beach. Hondas are among the best-selling cars in the U.S.

Honda Motor Co. plans to spend an additional $140 million and increase minivan production capacity 25% at its new Lincoln, Ala., plant as the Japanese auto maker's U.S. sales rise. Total investment by the end of next year will rise to $580 million from $440 million, Honda said. The move will boost capacity for Odyssey minivans and V-6 engines to 150,000 a year from 120,000, and jobs to 2,300 from 1,500.

Honda Motor Co.'s U.S. luxury unit raised prices on 2002 Acura 3.2 CL coupes an average of 0.2% from this year's models, taking advantage of rising demand for the brand. The new models include the CL, which is priced at $28,030 and has a 225-horsepower engine, and the 250-horsepower CL Type-S, which costs $30,380, a spokesman for the Torrance-based U.S. unit of Honda said. The prices were increased about $50. Honda's American depositary receipts rose $1.57 to $73.37 on the NYSE.

Honda Motor Co.'s CR-V sport utility vehicle will be made for the first time in the United States at one of two Ohio plants, where five other Honda vehicles are manufactured. Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. said it wanted CR-V production to be closer to the SUV's buyers, most of whom live in the U.S. Production will begin in 2006 at one of two plants northwest of Columbus, in Marysville and East Liberty.