Honda to make "Hybrid Accord"

[La_Serpiente]

I have been waiting a few years already for a new Hybrid car.

Well, to my heart's content, Honda is going to make a Honda Accord Hybrid. Sure, they had the civic, but my model of choice is the Accord.

Here are some stats on the new Accord:

1. Introduction in 2004 of a V6 powered gas-electric hybrid Accord using Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system in combination with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology for V6 performance with fuel economy equivalent to a four-cylinder Civic.
   
   
2. Introduction in 2005 of a Honda-developed fuel cell stack with increased performance and fuel efficiency, reduced cost and the ability to start in below freezing temperatures.
   
   

There are also other articles here and here

[Nlighten1]

1. Yeeee hawww!

This is great. My current Accord has almost 200,000 miles on it and I need to get a new one.

[Gin]

2. I drive a 92accord w/ 100 thousand miles. +...the next car I get will be a

hybrid...and I have had such good luck with a Honda it will probably be another one.

[gristy]

3. V6 powered???

Why is there a V6 in there? That makes NO sense. :shrug:

[gristy]

4. I see it now...

VCM allows for the deactivation of three of the engine?s six cylinders under certain conditions

This is a disappointment. No wonder the fuel economy is no better than a 4-cylinder civic. I would not buy this car.

[kysrsoze]

9. Why wouldn't you buy it?

Like it or not, people like V6 power. As far as fuel economy of a 4-cylinder civic (consisently in the low to high 30's), isn't that pretty darned good for a large midsize car with a V6? What else do you want?

[ShimokitaJer]

5. I drive a Civic Hybrid right now and LOVE it

Toyota may have gotten off the block earlier with their Prius, but I see Honda doing better long term, especially if they build off of their existing line like they have been. The Civic Hybrid has much better pick-up than the Prius, and it looks and drives more like a regular car. Toyota went for a futuristic looking computer in the center of the dashboard -- cool looking if you are interested in a car that "feels" revolutionary, but not appealing if you just want a car. Now I've heard that their new hybrid Pathfinder is going to push performance over gas mileage... well then, what's the point of owning a hybrid? In the meantime, Honda is working toward making hybrid cars far more common by incorporating them into their existing line and making the hybrid experience recognizable, but not too distant from that for normal cars. It's a strategy for selling a lot of cars to a lot of people rather than simply selling a few hybrids to a few "fringe" environmentalists like myself.

[Deja Q]

6. V6? Why 6 cylinders?

Are the batteries that heavy, requiring extra power?

That question aside, it's great that hybrids are starting to become more mainstream!

[AngryAmish]

7. Why V6?

Performance, baby. A V-6 Accord moves really well. This may make the car palatable to folks who expect a car with good acceleration. As more hybrids are built, economies of scale will bring the price down. More people using hybrids means less fuel used.

[gristy]

8. The electric motor run by batteries recharged by a (usually) smaller

gas motor gives you your "performance" in a hybrid. Touch the "gas" and it's not the gas motor that "kicks in", it's the small yet powerful electric motor.

The smaller gas motor is more efficient since it is designed to run under a more constant load because it does not have to provide extra boosts of power when accelerating. Since it is smaller, it is lighter, and then the whole car can be lightened since it doesn't have to support a big bad heavy motor.

Except maybe from a marketing perspective, the V6 makes no sense to me. None at all.

[jmowreader]

10. The V6 Accord is the one to make hybrid

It is their top-of-the-line Honda-badged car. If you're going to make a hybrid, which should be a "deluxe" model, it makes sense to use their most deluxe car.

Consider this: There have been three hybrids sold to date: Honda's Insight and Civic Hybrid, and the Toyota Prius. They're all econoboxes. An Accord is the kind of car a middle manager or an outside salesperson would be seen in, and a lot of middle managers and outside salespeople drive these.

Turning a 21/30MPG sedan into a 32/37MPG one is no mean feat.