Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Honda To Offer Hybrid Versions Of Civic, Accord

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Honda Motor Co. will boost its lineup of hybrid cars beginning in 2001, offering versions of its Civic and Accord in the U.S., Europe and Japan that are equipped with both gasoline engines and electric motors.

Hybrid autos improve fuel efficiency by 30-50% over that of conventional autos.

Honda expects the vehicles to become more popular as governments put in place stricter fuel consumption standards and offer tax incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles in order to combat global warming.

Honda will equip its popular models with a hybrid system that incorporates a new environmentally friendly engine, the VTEC-i, which is slated for commercial use starting this fall.

Some versions of the new Civic models will feature the new system. Conventional models of the new Civic will get mileage of 20km per liter, while the hybrid model will aim for 25-30km per liter, giving it the highest fuel efficiency for models of its size.

The automaker aims to market the hybrid Civic for under 20,000 dollars in the U.S. Honda's first hybrid vehicle, the Insight, developed in fall 1999, is priced about 40% higher than conventional autos.

(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Tuesday morning edition)