Honda Rolls Out Accord Hybrid Sedan for 2005

On sale beginning this week, Honda announced that the new Honda Accord gasoline-electric hybrid sedan is the first mainstream midsize sedan to offer a hybrid drivetrain. It is currently priced about $7,000 over a comparably equipped conventional V-6 gasoline-only Honda Accord. The price will land it within the range of Honda's Acura TL, as well as other premium midsize sedans such as the Lexus ES 330 and Infiniti G35.

The new Honda Hybrid Accord sedan looks similar to a regular Accord, possibly making it more appealling to consumers previously turned off by the unconventional looks of the Toyota Prius Hybrid.

The introduction of the Accord hybrid makes it the second mainstream hybrid vehicle on the market in the United States. Ford began offering the Hybrid Escape SUV earlier this year.

The Honda Accord Hybrids use a combination of gasoline powered engines and electric motors to provide power to their drive wheels, with the electric motors run by a nickel metal hydride battery pack. The biggest draw of hybrids so far is their fuel efficiency, and interest has risen this year with the considerable uptick in gas prices.

Honda already offers two other hybrids, the two-seat Honda Insight, with fuel economy of about 70 mpg, and the more compact Honda Civic Hybrid sedan, with up to 51 mpg. Sources from Honda noted that the major difference between Honda and Toyota hybrids is that with the Toyotas, the electric motor is used at low speeds, especially in stop-and-go traffic, with the gasoline engine kicking in at speeds of 30 mph, while with Honda the gasoline engine runs all the time, and the electric motor is used just to boost power and allow for use of a smaller gasoline engine.

"With the electric motor assist in the Accord," Honda sources stated, " fuel economy is improved by about 38 percent over regular V-6 Accords in city driving, and 23 percent on the highway. The regular V-6 Accord with automatic transmission is EPA rated at 21 mpg city/30 highway. The hybrid, with its five-speed automatic transmission, is EPA rated at 29 mpg city/37 highway, about the same as the gas-powered Civic four-cylinder sedan."

Honda is also offering several premium amenities in the Accord hybrid, such as leather interior, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power driver's seat, XM Satellite Radio and an in-dash six-disc CD changer. Standard features include alloy wheels and a rear spoiler for further efficiency. Additionally all Accord hybrids have driver and front-passenger side air bags, side curtain air bags, antilock brakes and traction control.

Honda was the first to sell a hybrid in the U.S. with the Insight in February 2000. Honda added the Civic hybrid in March 2002. With three hybrids, Honda expects its hybrid sales to total about 45,000 cars during calendar year 2005, double the expected total for this year.