Honda stated during the announcement that the 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) Sedan will provide the athleticism and craftsmanship of the all-new Accord, charged with a remarkable dose of hybrid efficiency and electric torque.

“The Accord sets the standard for all family sedans and our 2014 model is no different,” said Gardner, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Honda Canada. “This plug-in version will take the all-new, award-winning Accord and add next levels of innovation, engineering and efficiency.”

The 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid is powered by Honda’s first two-motor hybrid system and uses Honda’s new Earth Dreams 2.0 litre i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine producing 137 horsepower, teamed with a 124-kilowatt electric motor.

Electric driving is supported by a 6.7 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, and total system output is 196 horsepower.

The 2014 Accord PHEV allows the driver to choose two additional driving modes to manage battery capacity and tailor the capabilities of the plug-in Accord to individual driving needs.

Aimed at the energy-conscious consumer, Honda said the 2014 Accord PHEV will provide premium technology, exceptional cabin space and the ability to run in an all-electric mode for up to 28 kilometers (17.4 miles).

Based on Environment Canada approved 2 cycle test method, the Accord Plug-in hybrid is expected to achieve a fuel economy rating of 1.6 liter equivalent per 100 km (115 MPGe in the U.S.).

This is anticipated to be the best in class for any plug-in hybrid vehicle.

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But beyond the concepts, Honda president Takanobu Ito’s message to reporters at Tokyo this year was focused on the near term, namely the period between model year 2012 and 2020―by which time Honda has pledged to reduce average emissions of its vehicles by 30 percent. When asked whether Honda plans to keep pace with Nissan’s electric vehicle program and its goal of selling 1.5 million electrics by 2015, Ito urged a broader view of green vehicle technologies, which by his company’s vision include electric vehicles but are by no means centered around them.

“If you think about the concept EVs introduced by Honda at this Tokyo Motor Show, you see that electric cars are important. I will not deny that,” said Ito. “But when you consider the performance of batteries, the charging times, plus the cost of batteries, I think pure EVs would be best for compact, very small cars.”

For larger vehicles―which will undeniably continue play a significant role in the consumer automotive market for the foreseeable future―Honda favors hybrid technology like that that will be featured in the newly resurrected Accord hybrid, which will reportedly go on sale in Japan next year. The original Accord hybrid was a flop in the U.S. thanks to its $3,000 price premium and relatively low fuel economy compared to other hybrids. Though the car offered superior performance and more roominess than other gas-electrics and offered considerable fuel savings compared to the standard Accord V6, hybrid shoppers favored cars at the higher end of the efficiency spectrum, like the Prius.

For the forthcoming Accord hybrid, Honda has developed a new dedicated powertrain for mid- and large-sized vehicles that includes an updated continuously variable transmission and a new variable valve timing system, which transitions the engine from Atkinson cycle timing for highway driving to a standard Otto cycle for improved performance in the city.

“We believe we already have the technology in our hands, and for the next 10 to 20 years,” said Ito. “I think in order to reduce CO2, we would have to use these different technologies, of which pure battery cars are one. But proportion-wise, I think hybrids will be the largest.”

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Where the obvious move would have been to attach its hybrid system to the four-cylinder Accord model—potentially boosting fuel economy from a pedestrian 24 mpg combined rating into the range of other best-in-class mid-size offerings—Honda instead chose to pair the system with a V6 and configure that pairing to provide an additional 15 horsepower to the Accord EX V6′s already meaty 240 hp. Fuel efficiency for the vehicle languished at a paltry 25 mpg city, 34 mpg highway rating—with the combined number coming in just 1 MPG higher than the base model Accord.

Consumers were not impressed. Honda sold less than 6,000 Accord hybrids in 2006 and less than a year later, the car was canceled. “Hybrid manufacturers have largely been unable to expand the public’s perception of hybrids beyond high fuel economy,” said Kelley Blue Book’s Jack Nerad at the time.

Now comes word from Automotive News that Honda is once again preparing a hybrid version of the Accord. Will the carmaker aim to bring big efficiency gains to the vehicle’s 24/31 fuel economy rating, or has it decided that the market is finally ready for a hybrid that boosts power at the expense of substantive fuel economy gains?

With gas prices low, and Toyota recently deciding to go in a similar direction with its new Highlander hybrid SUV, it’s possible that performance-oriented hybrids could be making a comeback. But with Honda’s green vehicle lineup struggling and the carmaker’s own president complaining that company had become “complacent” about new technology in recent years, it’s difficult to see how an extra 15 horsepower and 1-2 MPGs could bring Honda back to prominence as a maker of fuel-efficient vehicles.

For now, all that’s known is that a new gas-electric Accord is on its way, so we’ll have to save our judgments for when more details are available. Hopefully, Honda will be a little more bold with its hybrid this time around.

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