With sales of its small, fuel-efficient cars going strong despite a deteriorating U.S. auto market, Honda is planning to launch a hybrid offensive with four new models on the way, including a refreshed Civic Hybrid and gas-electric Fit. The other two cars will be all-new, and while little is known about Honda's sporty, CR-Z concept-based coupe, today the automaker is dropping details on its upcoming five-door, hybrid-only model designed to try and knock the Toyota Prius off its throne.
American Honda executive vice president Dick Colliver says the automaker decided to build the dedicated hybrid because "having a specific individual product is important" to ecologically-minded consumers, and he expects the car to have a broader appeal than the current gas-electric Civic. Slightly smaller than the Civic and with a lower curb weight, the hatchback will also cost less than Honda's compact, as well as the iconic Prius. In addition the automaker will build 200,000 examples of the new car a year, with approximately half that number destined for sale in North America. But unlike Toyota's plans to build the Prius in Mississippi and California, Honda has no intention of producing its new model stateside for the time being.
So if you're in the market for a new, fuel-efficient ride and a hybrid-only Honda sounds good, luckily you won't have to wait long to get one. Colliver confirms that the new model will be in U.S. dealerships by April 2009, which may beat Toyota's next-generation Prius to market by a few months. Saying that small, efficient vehicles are "part of a fundamental commitment" for Honda, Colliver is proud that his company continued to build gas-sippers even as rivals embraced V-8 SUVs, and now that regular is near $4 a gallon the automaker is reaping the benefits. However with Toyota readying a second, larger hybrid, a dedicated gas-electric Lexus, and plug-in Prius (not to mention GM's 2010 Volt), the hybrid wars are set to heat up considerably in the coming years.
Source: Automotive News
