No, not literally. The automaker is doing quite well, thank you, despite the sharp slump in the U.S. market. But we’ve been invited to watch Honda crash a white 2008 Honda Accord, as part of its federal safety ratings test.

Over the years, I’ve been witness to a number of live crash tests, and I have to admit they’re always an amazing thing to watch. There’s the final countdown, the whir as the “bullet” vehicle is launched down the track, and the deafening noise of impact, shards of glass, plastic and metal spinning through the air, seemingly in slow motion.

Watching this interactive video isn’t quite the same – though if you have a good subwoofer hooked up to your computer, you might feel the same, chest-pounding crunch, upon impact.

Honda Interactive Crash Test Demo Invites Viewers to "See What We See"

TORRANCE, Calif., July 28, 2008 - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has launched a unique online video experience of a vehicle crash test that invites viewers to witness the crash impact and explore it from different camera angles and at various motion speeds.

The crash test demo is part of Honda's "Power of Dreams" corporate ad campaign (http://www.dreams.honda.com) which invites consumers to view the world from inside Honda's vantage point. By encouraging the viewer to "see what we see," Honda hopes to foster an understanding of what motivates the mobility company - in this case, the company's long-standing commitment to safety.

"The crash test video provides our customers with an inside look at how Honda engineers think about and develop advanced safety technologies, such as ACE body structure and advanced air bag technology," said Barbara Ponce, manager of corporate advertising. "We think it's best to let customers see for themselves."

The video, which was provided to Honda by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and depicts the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) frontal rating test, shows a white 2008 HondaAccord sedan traveling at 35 mph crashing into a fixed barrier, methodically crumpling the frontal structure in a few milliseconds. The variable speed video and 3 camera angles are accompanied by interpretive copy that explains to viewers what is occurring at different stages of the crash test.

The NHTSA frontal NCAP test resulted in a 5-star driver, 5-star front passenger rating for the 2008 Honda Accord sedan. These are the highest frontal NCAP ratings possible and indicate a 10% or less chance of serious injury in a head-on, 35 mph collision with a vehicle of similar size and weight.

Government star ratings are part of NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov).

In 2003, Honda launched its "Safety for Everyone" initiative in North America, a comprehensive approach to vehicle safety that seeks to provide enhanced levels of occupant protection and to help with crash avoidance in all Honda passenger vehicles, while also making an active commitment to mitigate injuries for the occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians. Honda operates two state-of-the-art indoor crash test facilities in Tochigi, Japan, and Raymond, Ohio.

Whether you blame the generally sour economy, soaring oil prices, or a weak housing market, there's little good to read into the numbers for June. U.S. auto sales plunged by 18.3 percent in June. Worked out on an annualized basis, the industry would sell an anemic 13.6 million vehicles, a far cry from the 17-million-plus units automakers moved earlier this decade.

Significantly, the decline was actually twice as severe as the plunge taken in the months after the September 11 terrorist attacks nearly froze the American economy. When you tally up all the numbers for the first half of 2008, the industry has hit a 15-year sales low.

Virtually every manufacturer suffered, in June, but there were a few notable exceptions: Honda, in particular, Hyundai, and Volkswagen. Meanwhile, though its light truck sales have slumped spectacularly, General Motors actually posted an increase in retail passenger car sales - reflecting both some well-received new products and some effective cash-back marketing efforts.

"We felt that was a very successful month-end merchandising program," said General Motors director of sales, service, and marketing Mark LaNeve.

GM's campaign, which offered 0 percent financing for up to 72 months, still couldn't head off an overall 18.2 percent decline for the automaker in June. For the month, the company's market share actually rose, to 22.1 percent, reflecting just badly the rest of its competitors fared. For all of '08 so far, GM's share is 21.4 percent.

As in May, Ford Motor Co.'s big F-Series pickups were knocked down from the top of the U.S. sales charts, where they had collectively ruled for 27 years. The big trucks came in fifth among all models in June, behind such high-mileage imports as the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. For the month, the F-Series posted a 40.5 percent decline; the truck line is down 22.7 percent for the year to date.

The collapse of the one-time best-seller pushed Ford even more deeply into the No. 3 spot in the U.S. market. For the year to date, it holds a 15.5 percent share of the American auto market, but in June, that was down to 14.6 percent.

Now well-entrenched as the No. 2 maker is Toyota, with a 2008 share of 16.7 percent. But beset by its own problems in the truck market, Toyota sales plunged a surprising 21.4 percent last month, giving it a June share of just 16.3 percent. That actually widens the gap between GM and Toyota.

But whether the American maker can hold onto its lead is uncertain, according to analyst Rod Lache of Deutsche Bank. The overall monthly numbers, said Lache, were "largely in line with our expectations. We would caution investors from reading too much into GM's June sales as previous '0% financing' and 'employee discount' promotions have typically had the effect of (only) temporarily boosting its market share." Those numbers, he cautioned, "may fall back."

Automakers and industry analysts alike suggested that some of the plunge in June sales reflect a shortage of the high-mileage vehicles that U.S. consumers are increasingly seeking out. That includes products like the Toyota Prius hybrid, the new Chevrolet Malibu, and Honda's Civic - both in gasoline and hybrid configurations. Where the industry generally considers a 60-day supply of vehicles on dealer lots to be the norm, the typical Prius is delivered to a customer within a day of its arrival from the factory.

"That limited availability, we believe, had an impact," said George Pipas, chief sales analyst for Ford Motor Co.

What's in store in the months to come is perhaps more uncertain than at any time in recent decades. Complicating efforts to forecast the U.S. car market, analysts have to project what will happen to fuel prices, the availability of loans, and the recovery of the housing market.

When is the right time to buy a hybrid? Should you be heading for the showroom now or waiting for the next generation of this technically complex but fuel-efficient alternatives?

A piece in USA Today raises those questions and is worth touching on in this blog, as regular readers know my cautious appreciation of hybrid-electric powertrain technology.

And you know that while I recognize the somewhat intangible value of doing your bit for Mother Earth, I also recommend you consider carefully the real-world economics of going to an HEV. In surprisingly few instances will the often-modest fuel savings actually pay off in terms of lower ownership costs, start to finish. A new study by Consumer Reports backs that up, listing only the Honda Civic Hybrid and two versions of the Toyota Prius in its top 10 list.

But Chris Woodyard's story poses other reasons to wait, notably the assortment of new and supposedly more advanced hybrids that will be coming soon. In many cases, they're cheaper, too, promise manufacturers like Honda and Toyota.

The paper quotes Mary Ann Wright, one-time head of Ford's hybrid program, and now vice president of Johnson Controls' hybrid battery business, noting that the first question asked by its new customer, Mercedes-Benz, was, "How are we going to get the costs out?"

The new hybrid Honda intends to launch next year - effectively its one-off, uniquely designed answer to the Prius - should carry a lower price premium than current models, like the Civic. Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said, in Tokyo last month, the goal was to trim about $900, or 33 percent, out of the hybrid penalty.

New technology may help improve the fuel-economy advantages, though not always the price, of a hybrid. General Motors is today using industry-standard nickel-metal hydride batteries for hybrid versions of the Saturn Vue, Cadillac Escalade, and others, but it will begin phasing in smaller, lighter, and more powerful lithium-ion batteries over the next few years. It expects the switch to boost fuel economy by 20 percent.

Ford expects its 2009 version of the Escape Hybrid to be able to operate solely on battery power in a wider range of driving conditions, also reducing fuel consumption. The revised powertrain will show up on other models, such as the Fusion, in 2010.

So should you buy now? If you truly feel the need to fly a green flag, that may be all that you should consider. Otherwise, study the economics carefully, and if the decision doesn't weigh in favor of going hybrid today, keep checking back to see what new technology the industry will be bringing to market.

Try to find a Prius. Go ahead, we dare ya! A few random calls to dealers around the country reveals that you won't locate many, if any, of the popular hybrids on Toyota's retail lots, not unless one is parked there waiting for a service bay. And while demand is a little lighter for some models, notably the full-size "two-mode" truck models that General Motors recently brought out, the fact is that hybrids are hot, and demand seems to go up with every added penny at the pump.

But as regular readers know, I'm a hybrid skeptic. Yes, if you can qualify for federal tax credits, get access to the commuter lanes, and such, there are some definite advantages. But when you do the calculations, it's hard to make a case for most of the current HEV models on the road. Even at $4.50 for a gallon of gas and even working in tax credits, you have to put a high value on their intangible "green-ness" to make a working business case.

One of the reasons why is that there are so many other vehicles on the road that match and, in some cases, exceed the fuel economy of similar-sized hybrids. A good example is the new Mercedes-Benz ML Blue-Tec, which, in several different real-world tests, routinely outperformed the Lexus RX 400h hybrid. It's significant to note that in the latest issue of Consumer Reports, only three HEVs made the list in terms of price-adjusted fuel efficient bargains. (Actually two. The list included two versions of the Prius and one of the Honda Civic Hybrid.)

Here are a few of our favorite fuel-efficient - non-hybrid - models:

Honda Fit and Fit Sport. The top two in the Consumer Reports study. Sure, they're small, and no, don't go challenging anyone at the stoplight, unless the other guy is behind the wheel of a Nissan Versa, but both versions of the Fit belie the old image of the stripped-down econobox.

Mercedes ML320 BlueTEC. (And the bigger GL version.) A recent drive through the countryside of Vermont demonstrated why Americans need to rethink their reluctance to embrace diesel. Occasionally, just occasionally, you might hear - but not feel - the clattering associated with classic diesels, but that's about it. They're smooth, quick, and clean, and they can nudge 30 mpg on the open road in real driving conditions.

On the small SUV side, we think the Ford Escape deserves another look, especially from those who think that a compact crossover has to carry a Japanese badge. Ford pulled off the seeming impossibility of boosting horsepower and mileage this year. Yes, there is a hybrid version, but even Ford officials say that by the time you trade it in, you'll probably have gotten a better deal on the I-4 Escape than the HEV.

Mini Cooper. The car that got Americans thinking "small is beautiful" has gotten still better in its latest iteration. Reasonably fuel efficient and surprisingly quick, it's just plain fun to drive. And if you need a bit more room for friends and cargo, check out the new Clubman model.

Mazda3 and Mazda5. Can you have zoom-zoom and good fuel economy, too? We've found the minivan-ish Mazda5 delivers both, along with plenty of passenger and cargo space. But if you want to boost mileage even more, consider the smaller of the two offerings. What amazed us, during a recent move, was the tremendous amount of cargo the smaller wagon could squeeze in - nearly as much as some compact SUVs.

Nissan Altima Coupe. Can you imagine? With the I-4 engine, this sporty-looking mid-size sedan will get you as much as 32 mpg on the highway and a still impressive 27 mpg in the city. No, not as much as the Altima sedan hybrid, but subtract the premium and you'll see which is the better deal.

How quickly times change. Only a matters of months ago, it seems, we were bombarded by ads touting products by the numbers: horsepower, for example, 0-60 times, or cubic feet of cargo space. Well, actually, we're hearing a lot more numbers now; what with $4-a-gallon gas, manufacturers are suddenly touting miles per gallon. But according to the folks at Consumer Reports magazine, that's no more effective a way to buy a new, fuel-efficient vehicle than basing your decision on its top speed.

In its latest issue, the CR folks have come up with an interesting way of figuring out your savings, but you want to have a calculator at hand. They took the sticker price of each vehicle and divided it by the rated mpg. Using that metric, the Honda Fit Sport ranked first, with a fuel-efficiency price of $464 mpg. The standard Fit came in a close second, at $476 per mpg. The oft-touted Toyota Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid-electric vehicle, was rated third, in the study, at $540. Perhaps surprisingly, only three hybrids made the Top Ten list: two versions of the Prius, along with the Honda Civic Hybrid.

"Just because a vehicle is fuel-efficient doesn't necessarily mean it's cheaper to live with. If you want a car with great gas mileage and must make every dollar count, look for a vehicle with a low price per mpg."

As we've also pointed out at TCC over the years, CR stresses that fuel economy is only one of the figures you should factor into your purchase equation. Look at things like depreciation, insurance premiums, repair and maintenance costs, and other factors. Be especially careful, we need to stress, if you're thinking about trading in a big gas-guzzler for something small and fuel-efficient. It might seem like a logical move, these days, but not if you haven't paid off that loan yet. You could wind up being "upside down," owing on your old car, as well as the new one. And those added costs could more than offset any savings on fuel.

Here's the CR Top Ten list:

1. Honda Fit Sport (manual): $464
2. Honda Fit (base): $476
3. Toyota Prius (base): $540
4. Mazda3 I (manual): $576
5. Toyota Prius Touring: $591
6. Nissan Versa 1.8 SL: $596
7. Honda Civic Hybrid: $605
8. Honda Civic EX (manual): $607
9. Hyundai Elantra GLS: $650
10. Scion tC (base): $658