In May of this year, Honda announced that they’d be releasing a new small hybrid in early 2009. This new hybrid will feature a significant reduction in weight over other hybrids and a reduction in cost of the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) components. The new hybrid will be the most affordable hybrid on the market, at least compared to anything that’s on the market today.
This new vehicle is expected to have around 100,000 models in the North American market. Once this vehicle, which has yet to be named, is launched, Honda is going to release another small hybrid that is based on the Honda CR-Z that was displayed at the 2007 Motor Show in Tokyo. Altogether, when the Civic Hybrid and Honda Fit are added in, it’s expected that over half a million hybrid Honda units will be sold each year.
The new hybrid will fit five passengers. It makes full use of the smaller batter and processing unit, providing a hatchback with enough cargo needs for a family. In addition, the new vehicle will feature additional technologies to improve fuel efficiency.
It will be produced at Honda’s Suzuka factory, which also produces the Civic Hybrid.
If you’re interested in an Honda hybrid, come see us. We’re your Lehigh Valley Honda dealer, and we’ve got a wide selection of vehicles to meet your needs.