Despite its investment in hybrids, electric cars, fuel cell vehicles and the compressed natural gas Civic GX, Honda has earned a reputation for a string of green car missteps. Yet, the company is tenacious—taking a hard study of each shortcoming, and applying those lessons to new and improved green strategies. We spoke with William Walton, manager of product planning for Honda’s lineup of cars from Fit to Accord, to see if Honda might have finally set out on the right course.
In September, we relayed reports that Toyota is working on a hybrid version of the Yaris subcompact, to be manufactured in France as early as this spring. While that time line now seems ambitious—by about a year—Toyota has confirmed that it will unveil the Yaris Hybrid concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
Honda President Takanobu Ito says around 10 percent of Honda’s global sales will be hybrids by 2015, and all of its models are built with the ability to quickly adapt into hybrids. According to Automotive News, the strategy of hybrid adaptability began in 2003, when Honda designed the Fit. The hybrid version of the Honda Fit went on sale in Japan in October. For the past three years, Honda extended the strategy to all mainstream models.
We first heard about plans for a hybrid gas-electric version of the Honda Fit in 2006. Since that time, Honda’s plans to bring the compact car—which could become the least expensive hybrid on U.S. roads—have been on and off again several times. The Honda Fit Hybrid went on sale in Japan last week, and will be offered in Europe early next year. But the company remains indecisive about selling it in the United States.
After three years of speculation about the introduction of a Fit Hybrid, Honda is set to unveil the world’s first subcompact hybrid next month at the Paris Motor Show this September. Not only will the Fit Hybrid be the smallest hybrid on the market, it could carry the lowest price tag. The design of the Honda Fit has been freshened up for the 2011 model.
If Honda’s pricing strategy for introducing the Honda Fit Hybrid in Japan is any indication, then the compact gas-electric car soon will be America’s most affordable hybrid. The Tokyo Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun newspapers this week reported that Honda plans to sell the Fit Hybrid for about $18,600. That’s approximately $3,500 less than the Honda Insight, currently the cheapest hybrid, and about $4,600 more than the gas-powered Fit. Pricing for the Japanese does not move in sync with U.S. pricing—but a similar strategy in the U.S. would put the base MSRP around $17,000. The Honda Fit Hybrid is expected in 2011.
Honda is developing a hybrid system suitable for larger cars such as the Odyssey minivan the Pilot sports utility vehicle. Tomohiko Kawanabe, Honda’s chief operating officer for automobile research and development, today told Reuters, "We've left the research stage and entered the field of development." Kawanabe said these vehicles could hit the US market in about three years. The change of strategy could put Honda back in the hybrid game.
It was once thought that the great promise of gas-electric hybrids was to offer new levels of fuel efficiency. In other words, adding even a modest battery pack and motor to a compact or subcompact car could boost the fuel efficiency of a small car from the mid-30-mpg range into the 40- or 50-mpg range. The original two-seater Honda Insight delivered 70-mpg in real world mileage for many of its drivers. Where is the next generation of small high-mpg hybrids?
Honda's new president Takanobu Ito promised today to speed up production of hybrid cars. Ito said that Honda will offer a CR-Z hybrid in Japan in February 2010, followed by a hybrid version of the company’s best-selling compact, Honda Fit, before the end of 2010. "Our theme is hybrids," said Ito.
Honda today announced that it will introduce its new small hybrid in early 2009, as well as another unique small hybrid vehicle based on the sporty CR-Z compact concept sports car—and a hybrid version of the Honda Fit subcompact.
