Honda Automobiles: 2016 Civic Coupe Red Bull Global Rallycross Announcement – New York Press Briefing Remarks

Nicholas Lee:

Thanks, so much, it’s great to be here in New York as we gear up for the 2016 New York Auto Show.

We’ve got incredible news to share with everyone in the audience today and also with racing fans watching us online – all around the world.

Honda has a rich racing heritage.

In fact, this “racing spirit” has been part of the Honda DNA from the very beginning of our company since Mr. Honda made his initial declaration to race more than 60 years ago.

Today, Honda has arguably the most diverse racing portfolio of any company in the world.

Participating in virtually every level of racing on a global scale from karting and grass roots amateur racing, on both two wheels and four, all the way up to the pinnacle of racing in IndyCar, Moto GP and Formula 1.

With the all-new 2016 Civic, we wanted to reach the young and young at heart, racing fans, Civic fans and thrill-seekers of all types.

In fact, Civic has long been an all-time favorite among younger buyers.

Last year, Civic was the most popular car among Millennials and is the #1 car sold to customers under 35 since 2010!

So what better way to reach a dynamic, performance-oriented audience than through a racing series designed to produce some of the fastest and most exciting racing in motorsports here in the U.S.!

Today, we are pleased to announce that with a rich, racing heritage and the sporty character of the all-new Civic the 2016 Honda Civic Coupe will begin its campaign in May of this year.

We’ll be entering the fast-paced Red Bull Global Rally cross series – partnering with the Red Bull Team and OMSE Racing.

Let’s take a look at what Red Bull Global Rallycross has in store for Honda this year.

Well, as you can see Red Bull GRC is seriously extreme racing, and it’s a terrific platform to showcase the performance intentions of the new Civic Coupe.

It’s full of fantastic door- to – door, action packed racing.

I’d like to Thank Colin Dyne, CEO of Red Bull GRC, who is with us today.

Now, let me be clear we’re not encouraging our customers to take 70-foot jumps out on the street but we believe this is a great way to tell people about all the incredible technology and performance capabilities of the all – new Civic Coupe.

Civic is the perfect starting point, providing a compact, sporty foundation that meets the high performance needs and dynamic demands of Red Bull GRC.

Here today, we’d like to share the design and livery of the forthcoming Honda vehicle that is still under development.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2016 Honda Civic Coupe Red Bull Global Rallycross car!

The Civic Coupe Red Bull Global Rallycross race car will be capable of producing more than 600 horsepower, can go from 0 to 60 in less than 2 seconds and can take jumps up to 70 feet while tackling turns on both dirt and asphalt!

We’ve got some great partners in this upcoming campaign, the Red Bull Team and one of the most renowned rallycross teams in the U.S.

Championship winning Olsbergs MSE.

We’ve also added in some technical assistance from our own HPD team to create Honda’s first-ever Red Bull GRC entry.

Now, please welcome the man and the company behind this extreme new Civic Coupe racing machine the CEO of Olsbergs MSE Andreas Eriksson! Thanks for being here today with us, Andreas.

No racecar is complete without a winning team of drivers and we’ve assembled a great pair for our entry into Red Bull GRC.

Please welcome Team Honda Red Bull Global Rallycross drivers Sebastian Eriksson and Yo-Nee Weeman!

These two were teammates last year, and both have already made their mark on the series with Yo-nee winning the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in 2014 and Sebastian finishing second in the Championship just last year.

Guys, welcome to Team Honda.

We’re really looking forward to watching you tear it up on the track this year.

Let’s hear it for our in 2016 Red Bull Global Rallycross Civic Team!

Yo-nee and Sebastian will be available afterward for more photos and questions.

Thank you everyone!

We’ll see you at the races!

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