Honda Leads 2002 Tour de Sol With Civic Hybrid

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- The all-new 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid -- the first gasoline-electric hybrid production vehicle to share the same body style and manufacturing platform as other mass-produced models -- will set the pace for the 2002 Tour de Sol, an annual road rally of 'green' cars, trucks, motorcycles, and scooters.

The Civic Hybrid is Honda's second gasoline-electric hybrid production vehicle on sale nationwide, since March. It is rated by U.S. EPA with 46/51 mpg city/highway (5-speed manual transmission model) -- about a 30 percent improvement in fuel economy compared to conventional, gas-powered Civic models -- is certified to California's stringent 'Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle' standard, and has room for five persons.

The Tour de Sol, organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, will feature more than three dozen middle- and high-school teams and green transportation entrepreneurs from across the U.S. Teams will be competing for maximum efficiency and fuel economy in student-built or prototype vehicles powered by gas-electric and solar-electric hybrid powertrains, as well as vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as natural gas, ethanol and biodiesel.

Teams and their vehicles will travel more than 300 miles over five days, from Baltimore, MD (May 12-13), to Washington, DC (May 14), through Annapolis, MD (May 15), Philadelphia, PA (May 16), and Trenton, NJ (May 17), to finish in New York City (May 18). (For detailed information about the Tour de Sol, on the internet, go to - www.nesea.org .)

For the third consecutive year, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is the primary corporate sponsor of the Tour de Sol, along with the U.S. Department of Energy as title sponsor. Honda's participation in the Tour de Sol demonstrates the company's commitment to developing 'real-world,' market-ready vehicles that can reduce the impact of automobiles on the environment. Honda is the only manufacturer with two gas-electric hybrid production vehicles on sale in the U.S.

Two years ago at the 2000 Tour de Sol, Honda introduced the Insight, the first mass-produced, gas-electric hybrid on sale in the U.S. In its first year on sale, the Insight received an EPA rating of 61/70 mpg city/highway.

"The Honda Insight [now in its third model year] served as an excellent launching pad for demonstrating Honda's hybrid technology, and for introducing the concept of hybrids to American drivers," says Michael Tebo of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Honda's second-generation hybrid powertrain in the Civic Hybrid melds the technological concept of the Insight in to the current production model of the Civic sedan. In the Civic Hybrid, Americans now have the freedom to choose a gas-electric hybrid version of one of the best-selling cars in the U.S."

The Honda Civic is the perennial best-selling small car in America. The Civic Hybrid features a new, more advanced version of Honda's patented 'Integrated Motor Assist' (IMA) system. Its 1.3-liter, 4-cylinder, 85-hp gasoline engine is assisted by a 144-volt electric motor that delivers up to 13-hp when accelerating. The IMA system delivers 93-hp total and 116-lb-ft torque, to give the Civic Hybrid the acceleration and performance of a car with a larger engine. (A comparable Civic sedan delivers approximately 115-hp and 110-lb-ft torque.)

The Civic Hybrid, like the Insight, automatically recharges the batteries that power the electric motor during braking and deceleration. As a result, the Civic Hybrid never needs to be plugged in to an external power source.

The 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid MSRP is approximately $20,000, with sales anticipated to be about 2,000 vehicles per month. It is available in two models -- with a 5-speed manual transmission, or a Continuously Variable (automatic) Transmission (CVT).

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is one of the nation's leading grassroots environmental groups involved in promoting and development of renewable energy technologies. Headquartered in Greenfield, MA, NESEA has worked in the fields of transportation, building construction and renewable energy for more than 25 years.

For more media information about the Civic Hybrid and high-resolution image downloads, go to -- www.hondanews.com .

Consumer information about the Civic Hybrid is posted at -- civichybrid.honda.com