Honda Clarity Vehicle Line Expands

One of the Honda brand’s great strengths as an automaker is the drive to stay on the cutting edge of the automotive industry. The company displayed that commitment to lead when they launched the 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell at the end of 2016. At the 2017 New York International Auto Show earlier this month, they upped the ante once again with the debut of the all-new 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid and the 2017 Honda Clarity Electric.

Steve Center, vice president of the Connected and Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda, discussed the importance of the Honda Clarity vehicle line to the automaker’s overall plan and direction: "Electrification is the future of mobility and the future of Honda, and it all starts now with this new Clarity series.”

Each Honda Clarity vehicle sports a low, wide aerodynamic body with unique design elements and differentiated front styling. Inside, each vehicle in the line offers comfortable seating for five adults. The vehicle interiors feature premium, environmentally responsible materials. That’s all well and good, but how do they drive? You’ll be happy to know that Honda Clarity vehicles provide smooth, quiet, highly refined driving experience thanks to the seamlessness of electric drive torque and acceleration. A full suite of Honda Sensing™ safety and driver-assistive technologies rounds out the incredible technology on display in these next-generation vehicles.

The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid is expected to deliver a 42-mile all-electric driving range, with the ability to utilize a hyper-efficient 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine to deliver an overall driving range of more than 330 miles. As for the 2017 Honda Clarity Electric, drivers will be able to fully charge the car in just over three hours at 240 volts for an expected driving range of 120/102/111 MPGe (city/highway/combined).

We’re proud to offer the latest, greatest Honda vehicles here at Keyes Cars. Head in to our dealership near Beverly Hills, CA today to check out the 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, as well as the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid.

Audi of America Launches a New Vehicle Brand

Audi of America really outdid themselves at the 2017 New York International Auto Show. While other automakers were busy debuting new models, Audi of America unveiled a whole new vehicle brand: Audi Sport. Over the next two years, eight Audi Sport models will be released. Each one will offer an optimal balance of innovation, quality, and out-of-this-world driving dynamics.

Scott Keogh, Audi of America president, was on hand for the announcement, saying: “Audi is a brand built on progress, and for us, racing has been the lab where so much of that progress has been made. With the launch of Audi Sport in the U.S., we are excited to offer our customers even more products that benefit from the same developments and technologies first used in motorsport.”

Three existing Audi models are already part of the prestigious brand: the 2017 Audi RS 7, the 2017 Audi R8, and the 2017 Audi R8 V10 Spyder. You can test drive all three here at Keyes Cars near Los Angeles, CA. Several of the new models that will be joining these have already been announced. First up will be the all-new 2018 Audi TT RS. The 2017 Audi RS3 will make its U.S. debut, followed by the soon-to-launch 2018 Audi RS 3. And the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe, launching in the first half of 2018, will sport an all-new 2.9-liter TFSI® V6-biturbo engine with 450 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.

We’re always on the lookout for the latest and great from our favorite automakers, like the Audi brand. And Keyes Cars is always your one-stop shop for all the latest vehicles from those brands. So get excited for Audi Sport. We’ll see you soon for a test drive. 

Toyota Snags 2017 World Green Car Award

The New York International Auto Show is always a high point for the auto industry, with new models making their debut and current models getting to bask in the spotlight of new awards. One such model is the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime, which was named the 2017 World Green Car. This is the second year in a row that a Toyota model has taken home the prestigious award, with the Toyota Mirai named the 2016 World Green Car last year.

Twelve new vehicles from across the globe were in the running for the title of World Green Car. The vehicles were evaluated on fuel consumption, tailpipe emissions, and more, with an international jury panel comprised of 75 top-level automotive journalists from 23 countries around the world making the final call. Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager of Toyota division, talks about what the award means: “For global automakers like Toyota, this award is a testament to our focus on developing products that both stir the emotions and meet the mobility needs of our customers in all corners of the world."

The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime takes what you love about the 2017 Toyota Prius and pushes it further. It is a plug-in hybrid that you can charge right in your home with the included charging cable. In less than five-and-a-half hours—and using a standard wall outlet—you’re ready to go. A large lithium-ion battery allows you to go further. Thanks to an optimized Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) system, cutting-edge light-weight materials, and other innovations, this innovative Toyota vehicle delivers an astounding EPA-estimated 133 MPGe and EPA-estimated total driving range of 640 miles.

Learn more about the entire Toyota Prius and Toyota Prius Prime vehicle fleet here at Keyes Cars in Van Nuys, CA.

Keep New Drivers Safe with Chevy’s Teen Driver System

When it comes to new drivers, “experience” is a word that gets tossed around a lot. Every driver needs experience to know what to do on the road, but for parents, watching their teenage drivers pull out of the driveway to get that experience is often a nerve-wracking experience of its own. To help ease the anxieties of parents, and to offer a helping hand to new drivers, the Chevy brand developed Teen Driver. This available built-in system is a hands-on teaching tool that can help coach new drivers, even when they’re on the road alone.

To get started, parents enter a PIN into the Teen Driver menu on the available Chevrolet MyLink display. The next step is to register a key. From then on, whenever your new driver enters the vehicle with a registered key, whatever features you’ve selected will automatically be enabled.

We’ve found that the first thing parents tend to do is set a speed limit. From there, audible and visual warnings can be customized for when the vehicle travels over that pre-selected speed. Another great feature is audio limit, which allows a maximum volume to be set for the car’s audio system. Music that’s too loud can distract even veteran drivers, so helping teenagers keep things calm and quiet is a welcome capability.

The Teen Driver system is available on most new Chevy vehicles, including the 2017 Chevy Malibu. Here at Keyes Cars, vehicle safety is not only a concern among our drivers, it’s a top priority among the entire staff. To learn more about Teen Driver, and the other safety systems and features available on our extensive selection of new cars, head in to our dealership near Glendale, CA.