Make no mistake, we've been quite critical of Honda lately.

Honda's problems in terms of supply due to the Thai floods and the disaster in Japan are still felt today, and add to that the issues we found in the new Civic (hard plastics, dull drive, among others), and it's easy to see why. Perhaps this bit of news might be something to look forward to from Honda.

If you were familiar with their Formula One efforts about 5 years ago, the Honda F1 team sported 'Earth Dreams' livery, signalling the brand's direction for better efficiency.

Well, it seems Earth Dreams is getting ready to take the next step, as Honda's new line of Earth Dreams engines and powertrain technology is set make their way to the engine bays of our cars, and the automaker has released more details about the performance figures as well as the improvements.

The new Earth Dreams engines feature direct injection, dual overhead cams and variable valve timing (i-VTEC, of course). Earth Dreams engines will also feature reduced internal friction and some will use the Atkinson Cycle for even better efficiency.

The Honda Fit (Jazz, locally) will be getting the Earth Dreams 1.5 liter I-4 engine with 127 hp.

The Honda Civic (a car which Honda is rushing a major refresh to address the issues found) will get the Earth Dreams 1.8 liter I-4 engine with 148 horsepower. It uses the Atkinson Cycle.

The Honda Accord will have both the Earth Dreams 2.4 liter I-4 with 181 horsepower (with Idle Stop) as well as an Earth Dreams 3.5 liter V6 with 310 horsepower. The V6 will continue to have the Variable Cylinder Management system that shuts off cylinders during light cruising for better efficiency.

Honda also announced a new generation of advanced Continuously Variable Transmissions to be matched with their new engines. If you recall, Honda previously used CVTs in the local 1^st gen Jazz variants.

It might be a while when (or if) these more powerful, more efficient engines and transmissions come here to the Philippines, but given the challenges Honda has faced, it's something Philippine Honda fans, customers and enthusiasts would eagerly wait for.