Honda to Sell New Gas-Electric Hybrid Next Year
In what feels like loooooong overdue news, Honda has announced that it will sell "a new, improved and affordable gas-electric hybrid in the USA, Japan and Europe" starting in early 2009, as outlined by President Takeo Fukui at the company's Tokyo headquarters Tuesday. The design of the new vehicle will be inspired by the FCX Clarity (pictured above); it will be a five-door sedan that seats five passengers, and will feature new technology to reduce the size and weight of the hybrid system and increase fuel efficiency.
In addition to the new hybrid, Honda will introduce several other hybrids: a Civic, a sportier model (based on the CR-Z concept car), and a Fit subcompact, according to Fukui.
No prices were discussed and no photos were shown of the new model. However, Fukui said the difference between hybrids and their comparable standard models should be kept within 200,000 yen ($1,900), compared to current gaps, which now reach as much as 500,000 yen ($4,800).
Honda has been trailing rival Toyota in the hybrid market. Honda said Wednesday that it plans to sell 500,000 hybrids a year sometime after 2010 -- still half the number that Toyota has already announced it seeks to sell a year by the same time period.
Our favorite line of the press conference? Speaking about the need to start production at home before outsourcing it to other countries, Fukui said, "the power of Japan is needed."
Go fuel-efficient Speed Racer, go. [Source: USA Today]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
danny @ May 22nd 2008 2:44PM
if only i could afford a new car :(....
Nichole @ May 23rd 2008 5:11PM
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