Originally published July 25 2005
Honda unveils improved gasoline and hybrid engines
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Japanese car manufacturer Honda recently unveiled improvements to its regular gasoline and gasoline-electric hybrid engines for their Civic, increasing both mileage and performance statistics for the vehicle.
With global sales of nearly 600,000 units a year, the Civic is Honda's best-selling model after the Accord, and the refreshed version is widely expected to generate big sales gains for Japan's third-biggest auto maker.
Honda said the improved i-VTEC (intelligent Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control System) technology--a mechanism that helps engines burn fuel more efficiently while enhancing driving performance--would raise the engine's fuel economy by 6 percent in the new gasoline-only Civic.
The new 1.8-liter engine is 11 pounds lighter than the 1.7-liter engine that powers the current Civic, thanks largely to the use of fewer components--something Honda has promised to pursue to lower costs.
Honda also developed a more powerful, fuel-efficient hybrid system that would enable its gasoline-electric vehicles to run solely on the electric motor at low cruising speeds for the first time, like Toyota Motor's popular Prius sedan.
The new system features an evolved, three-stage 1.34-liter i-VTEC engine, combined with Honda's IMA (integrated motor assist) technology to achieve a 20 percent jump in output--comparable to the performance of a conventional 1.8-liter engine.
Honda is one of a handful of car makers to offer mass-market hybrid cars; its FCX model is the only zero-emission fuel-cell vehicle certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California regulators for regular daily use.
But Honda's ranking as one of the world's most fuel-efficient car brands is mainly due to its widespread use of environmentally friendly gasoline-engine technology, and that trend will continue despite the development of an improved hybrid system, an executive said.
With about 27,200 sold last year, hybrids make up just 2 percent of Honda's sales in the United States, where it sells a little more than half of its Civics.
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