Honda Motor Co., Ltd. president and CEO Takeo Fukui, speaking at the North American International Auto Show, announced several new safety and environmental initiatives for Honda and Acura vehicles as he reinforced the company’s commitment to leadership in these critical areas of social responsibility.
The new initiatives include advanced safety systems for the Acura RL, new safety and advanced powertrain features for the 2006 Honda Civic and Pilot, and the leasing of the first fuel cell vehicle to an individual customer. In the area of environmental leadership, he announced plans to expand the use of Honda fuel-efficient technologies including its hybrid technology and Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system. VCM will be applied to the 2006 Honda Pilot sport-utility vehicle scheduled to debut this fall. VCM deactivates three of the engine’s six cylinders during cruising, deceleration and other low engine load conditions to reduce fuel consumption. This technology was first introduced in the U.S. in 2004 on the all-new 2005 Odyssey minivan and 2005 Accord Hybrid.
Further, the 2006 Civic will be powered by the newest and most advanced generation of Honda’s i-VTEC engine technology to achieve even higher fuel economy and lower emissions. And a new Civic Hybrid will feature enhancements to Honda’s IMA hybrid technology to achieve significantly higher fuel economy and performance. The natural gas Civic GX, powered by the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world, will continue to be made in Ohio.
Honda also announced its plans to place a fuel cell vehicle with an individual customer. The company will seek out interested parties to become the first private individual to lease its FCX fuel cell vehicle for regular everyday use. The 2005 FCX is the world’s most advanced fuel cell vehicle and the only FCV to earn certification from the U.S. EPA and California’s Air Resources Board (CARB). It is powered by Honda’s originally developed fuel cell stack (Honda FC Stack) with the breakthrough ability to start and operate in below freezing temperatures, along with significantly improved performance, efficiency and range.
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