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TdS Report #31: Pace Car: Honda Civic Hybrid

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TdS Report #31: Pace Car: Honda Civic Hybrid


I asked Deedra Huzzard of American Honda about the new Civic Hybrid. "It went
on the market in April. It's a hybrid car that runs off of gas and electric.
It is always running off the gas engine with an assist from the electric motor
when it is accelerating or needs additional horsepower."


The car is quite different from the Honda Insight. "The Insight was only
intended to sell 5000 a year. It's a two seater coupe. It has an aluminum
body. And it gets about 60 miles per gallon.


"The Civic Hybrid they are expecting to sell between 20,000 and 30,000 a year.
It is a five seater. It has a steel body. And it gets 50 miles per gallon;
that's about 600 miles per tank. The battery is behind the back seat, on the
driver side, and doesn't take up too much of the trunk space. The interior has
10 cubic feet more space than the gas Civic. It is a Ultra Low Emission
Vehicle (ULEV) which is an 84% reduction in greenhouse gases. The gasoline
Honda Civic is also a ULEV, but not with the mileage. The Civic Hybrid gives a
30% increase in mileage using a 1.3 liter, 85 horsepower engine. The electric
motor assists with an additional 13 horsepower.


"The top of the line gasoline Civic LX is $17,000. This is $20,000, but it has
features that are not offered in the LX such as upgraded suspension, inside
trim, a phenomenal stereo system, automatic windows and locks, air conditioning
-- all standard. There is one option: automatic or manual transmission.


"They have sold 1500 so far. I expect them to sell 2000 a month. People are
really excited about it."



Vehicle Name Honda Civic hybrid
Vehicle Number Pace
Category DEMONSTRATION VEHICLES (non-competitive)
vehicle type category demonstration/exhibit only
Team Name American Honda Motor Company
Organization Honda
City Washington
State DC
www http://www.hondacorporate.com
new this year? US on-road debut
Vehicle Type Class Light Duty (car, truck, van)
Vehicle Type Division Production
Program blurb American Honda Motor Company's third consecutive
year as lead corporate sponsor of the Tour de Sol
demonstrates the company's commitment to
developing real-world, market-ready vehicles that
continue to reduce the impact of automobiles on
the environment. The Honda Civic Hybrid is
making its U.S. on-road debut as the pace car for
the 2002 Tour de Sol. On sale nationwide in May
2002, the Civic Hybrid, a five-passenger sedan, is
expected to achieve about 50 miles per gallon for
both city and highway driving - a 30 percent
improvement in fuel economy compared to other
Civic sedan models. The Civic Hybrid is also the
first hybrid to share the same body style and
platform as other mass produced models. The Civic
Hybrid will come off the same assembly line as
other conventional Civic models.
Two years ago
at the Tour de Sol, Honda introduced the Insight,
the first mass-produced, gasoline-electric hybrid
on sale in the U.S. market. This year, several
Insight owners will also compete in the Tour de
Sol road-rally.


- - - -
The complete set of Tour de Sol Reports for 2002 can be found at:
http://www.AutoAuditorium.com/TdS_Reports_2002
The complete set of past Tour de Sol Reports can be found at:
http://www.FovealSystems.com/Tour_de_Sol_Reports.html
- - - -
The above is Copyright 2002 by Michael H. Bianchi.
Permission to copy is granted provided the entire article is presented
without modification and this notice remains attached.
For other arrangements, contact me at +1-973-822-2024 .
- - - -
For more on the NESEA Tour de Sol, see the web page at
http://www.nesea.org
- - - -
Official NESEA Tour de Sol information is available from the sponsor,
the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) at
413 774-6051 , and 50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 , and
nesea@nesea.org . All media enquiries should be addressed to ...
Jack Groh
Groh Associates
GrohPR@aol.com email
401 732-1551 telephone
401 732-0547 fax
401 952-0886 cell/pager
 
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