Today, Honda announced that its 2013 Fit EV has been delivered via a demo program to Google, (as well as to Stanford University), and it will be used in GFleet.

Here’s the part of Honda’s announcement that pertains to Google:

The delivery of the Fit EV to Google Inc. was marked by an employee ride and drive. Nearly 100 ‘Googlers’ took the Fit EV for a spin around the Google Mountain View, Calif., campus. Google will now use the Fit EV as a part of its G-Fleet, an employee car-sharing service that features numerous plug-in vehicles. Google’s participation in the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program will involve analysis of vehicle usage including CO2 reduction, energy consumption on a miles/kWh basis and overall energy cost.

“The goal of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program is to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with the advancement in battery-electric technology,” said Steve Center, VP of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda. “Honda has a long history with electric vehicles beginning with the introduction of our first battery-electric car, the EV Plus, nearly 15 years ago. Honda’s experience and the unique feedback that Google, Stanford University and the city of Torrance will provide will be valuable to the future introduction of battery-electric technology.”

Here’s a broader look at GFleet itself:

Google, along with Stanford and the city of Torrance, California are conducting general testing on the Fit EV, to give feedback to Honda for the future introduction of electric vehicles.

I wonder if anyone will tell them that, like some electric cars before it, it kind of looks like a new-age mini van.

It was soon revealed that the teaser clip didn’t actually have anything to do with a sequel, but was simply a teaser for a Super Bowl ad from Honda. We reported that the ad would indeed star Matthew Broderick and involved the recreation of at least a few scenes from the original film.

Well, now it’s here and available to watch in its entirety, via the Honda YouTube channel. Take a look at “Matthew’s Day Off,” which starts with Broderick calling in sick – to his agent.

To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller’s Day Off back in a big game commercial. We cast Matthew Broderick as himself, skipping out on a day of acting work and living it up in his all-new CR-V. Relive movie history with Honda’s fresh twist and wonderful homage to this ’80s classic.

Think you’re a true fan of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? We hid over two dozen references to the movie throughout the commercial. Some are obvious, some are VERY subtle. See how many you can find.

How many did you spot? The “life goes by fast” quote? The parade? The scummy valet and his car jump?

I think it’s a pretty good ad, sure to be one of the most-talked about on Super Bowl Sunday. However, there’s already some blowback coming from viewers of the ad. Here are the top-voted comments on Youtube:

Thanks for ruining my childhood dreams, with a crappy SUV.

Very glad I got to post the first comment…I can’t explain how disappointed I am. Don’t know if I’m just an idiot but for some reason I thought the 10 second teaser was a trailer for a Ferris Bueller 2, not a stupid Honda commercial. At this point I just can’t believe Matthew Broderick would allow anyone to use the priceless movie to advertise a car. Wow.

What do you think? Childhood-ruiner or good, nostalgic advert? Let us know in the comments.

This description of the video on YouTube says:

We hate to be such a tease, but on a day like today, we just have to. Stick it out until the Super Bowl, or take a “day off” on Monday and catch the big reveal.

Naturally, this little teaser created a lot of buzz on the internet yesterday, with many wondering if it meant that Ferris Bueller sequel was in the works.

While that may in fact be true, this little clip is simply a teaser for a Super Bowl ad – for Honda. Jalopnik reports that Honda’s ad will recreate many parts of the the classic film, including the famous Ferrari-jumping scene where the two shady valets take Cameron’s dad’s car out for a joyride. But this time, instead of a Ferrari, it will be a Honda CR-V.

Not only will the ad star Matthew Broderick, but it’s also directed by The Hangover‘s Todd Phillips.

I guess, in theory, they could announce some sort of plans for a sequel as part of the Honda Super Bowl ad. Maybe the ad is just a tester for public enthusiasm for a Ferris Bueller reunion. But that’s probably just wishful thinking (or a terrible idea, depending on who you ask).

(Editor’s Note: The study, which found that search advertising was good, was sponsored by Google. And if you’re extra cynical, that’s like AT&T sponsoring research finding that Network Neutrality is bad. But Enquiro’s a reputable firm, so we’ll run with it. – Jason)

Participants were instructed to search for "fuel efficient cars," and then were questions about their research to determine attitudes toward and awareness of Honda. Each group were presented with different search results, some where Honda did not appear in the results, some with only a side sponsored ad listing, some with just a top organic listing, some with just a top sponsored ad listing, and some with both top sponsored and top organic.  

The study found the most powerful results when both a top ad and a top organic listing were present. When later asked to think about fuel efficient cars and list which cars came to mind, 16 percent more of the group that saw both the top sponsored ad and the top organic result associated fuel efficiency with Honda. Further, there was a 42 percentage point gap between Honda and other brands, and a seven percent increase when only a side ad listing present.

When asked which brands they remembered seeing in the search results, the participants were over twice as likely to name Honda when both the top ad and the top organic were present.

Having a top sponsored ad and a top organic result also increased purchased consideration by eight percentage points. Searchers were 16 percentage points less likely to consider purchasing a brand not listed in the search results at all.

This result held true even for branded queries ("Honda fuel efficient cars"). When a top ad listing was added to a top organic listing, searchers were seven percentage points more likely consider a purchase.

Enquiro interprets the results to mean advertisers should purchase both branded and non-branded keywords. Based on eye tracking results, the company also recommends placing branded keywords in the title, the URL, and as close to the start of the description as possible.

The study comes amid increasing concerns over ad-blindness among consumers. Past eye-tracking studies have shown that searchers are increasingly likely to ignore not just advertisements but also actual content in places where they expect advertising to be, namely at the top or the right side of the page.

The whitepaper from the study with charts and graphs can be found at Enquiro’s website.

MySpace TV

The so-called “minisodes” will be shown on MySpace, and this may say more about the social networking site’s primary user base than society in general.  But, to be fair, online video lends itself to showing shorter clips.  And some young people have never even heard of “Fantasy Island,” “Who’s the Boss,” and “The Facts of Life” – you can’t blame them for not wanting to sit through full episodes.

In fact, the classic Sony shows that have been selected for this Minisode Network are an odd fit for MySpace.  Honda’s sponsorship, on the other hand, is intended to promote the Fit, a compact car.  While I’m not a fan of the Fit’s styling, it’s gotten positive reviews (first place out of seven models, according to Car and Driver), and the Fit’s small price tag is well suited to MySpace’s main demographic.

That’s where the commercials come in.  “To mirror the pared-down programming, Honda and its longtime agency, RPA, have agreed to run only eight seconds of commercials with each episode, appearing before the shortened show starts,” reports Stuart Elliott for The New York Times.

Elliott also writes that Honda’s sponsorship is “estimated in six figures,” and “is indicative of the intensifying interest in online video among marketers.”

As for the future of the Minisode Network, Amy Carney, president for advertiser sales at Sony Pictures Television in New York, told Elliott, “After the exclusivity with My Space ends . . . . Sony Pictures Television is looking at sites like aol.com, yahoo .com and youtube.com.”  It appears that these short clips may have a long shelf life.

Thai Tran, a product manager at the search engine company, explained the feature in greater detail. “[U]sers in Germany can send a business listing found on Google Maps Deutschland directly to cars enabled with the BMW Assist service,” he wrote. “Drivers can then set it as the destination for the in-car navigation system, or they can call the business from within the car.”

The main point of all this? “No more having to write down the address and re-enter it in the car – now you can just click and drive!” Tran provided a nifty little video if you’d like to see the feature in action. It should make life a little simpler for BMW owners, assuming they can figure out the (reportedly) awful iDrive controller that’s in charge of the operation.

This isn’t a technological breakthrough; Google worked out deals with both Volkswagen and Honda some time ago, and aftermarket navigation systems are capable of similar feats. Still, good for Google – and BMW. Now we just need the companies to bring it this feature to the U.S.

Keep an eye out, considering that Tran concluded, “As additional devices come online, we’re excited to see what is possible, and we’ll continue working to make the information that you need available to you when and where you need it.”

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Using Google Earth, the service overlays current color-coded traffic information to help drivers find the best route to their destination. Routes colored blue indicate light traffic, orange indicates busy traffic, and red indicates congestion.

The service, which was made available to subscribers in late March, currently only covers 20 km around major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.

Use of Google Earth as navigational tools may be a trend the world will continue to see in the not-too-distant future. Recently, Volkswagen teamed up with Google and nVidia to create an in-car navigation system intended for release in the US market.

There is no word yet if a similar subscription service will be made available in Honda Civics in North America, unless it’s mentioned somewhere in this Google-translated press release that reads like an actual Japanese engineer wrote it – ask any ex-pat English teacher in Japan.

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Honda will soon add Google Earth to its internavi Premium Club’ navigation service in Japan. The advanced navigation system was first launched in 2003, offering a wireless connection to the internet to download the latest traffic information to the built-in computer. The technology is now being expanded to interface to Google Earth, which provides high-resolution satellite images of cities. So far, no word on plans to bring the technology to the U.S.

Google also recently released very high resolution imagery for Las Vegas. Presumably, casino owners will use it to track cheaters

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Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.

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Business 2.0 listed how a few companies that encourage their staffers to drive hybrid vehicles, like the hugely popular Toyota Prius, put their cash where the rubber hits the road.

Google pays out $5,000 for purchasers of a new hybrid. If the employee goes with the lease option, the payout is $2,500 instead. In New Hampshire, trendy outdoor clothier Timberland pays $3,000 toward a new hybrid.

Hyperion Solutions, based in Santa Clara, CA, started the hybrid incentives with a program last spring. They pay $5,000 to each of the first 200 employees who buy a car that gets 45 miles per gallon or better.

“Our employees care about global warming and the impact of their commutes,” Godfrey Sullivan, Hyperion’s president and CEO, said in the report.

The diesel Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Sport should easily qualify for Hyperion’s program. It averaged over 76 mpg in a European test. Oh, and it set 19 world speed records for Production Car Class B, according to a VTEC.net report.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.

They said that consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

The steering rods can separate, causing the driver to lose steering control. This could cause the ATV to crash and pose a risk of serious injury or death. Honda has received 27 reports of steering rod separation. No injuries have been reported.

The model numbers can be found on the identification label located on the left side of the frame down tube. The VIN number is stamped on the front side of the frame.

They were sold at Honda motorcycle dealers nationwide from August 2003 through February 2005 for between $3,600 and $8,000.

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