As the automakers ratchet up the hype for their 2018 models, collision repairers are hearing a familiar refrain: more high-strength steel and a dizzying array of advanced driver-assistance systems.
The 2018 Honda Accord, due to hit showrooms this fall, is no exception.
Honda said the Accord’s body is lighter and more rigid, and features 29 percent ultra-high-strength steel – the highest content of any current mass-produced Honda car.
Overall, the redesigned Accord uses 54 percent high-strength steel, according to Honda.
The popular midsize sedan boasts “the latest generation of Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, with crash stroke front frame, tailor-tempered rear frame members for improved crash-energy absorption, and the extensive use of structural adhesives for increased rigidity, cabin quietness and weight reduction,” the automaker noted.
Depending on the trim level, the Accord has shed approximately 110 to 176 pounds, according to Honda, while body torsional and bending rigidity are improved 32 and 24 percent, respectively.
Honda, which recently unveiled the 2018 Accord in Detroit, also touted the Accord’s new chassis design.
“The 2018 Accord’s lighter chassis features a new Macpherson strut front suspension with L-shaped aluminum control arms mounted to an all-aluminum front subframe,” Honda said.
For 2018, all Accords will feature the full suite of Honda Sensing safety and driver-assist technologies as standard equipment.
Honda Sensing includes collision-mitigation braking system; lane-departure warning; road-departure mitigation; adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow; and new traffic-sign recognition.
Additional available driver-assist technologies include blind-spot information; front and rear parking sensors; cross-traffic monitor; and driver-awareness monitor.
All models feature a multi-angle rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, Honda noted.
After several years of making the Accord in Japan, Honda said it will move production of the 2018 Accord back to its Marysville, Ohio, plant.
