Honda Updates Status of Industry-Leading 'Safety for Everyone' Initiative

Honda Updates Status of Industry-Leading 'Safety for Everyone' Initiative

TORRANCE, CA - June 23, 2006: American Honda Co., Inc., today provided an update on the application of advanced safety technology based on its industry-leading 'Safety for Everyone' commitment.

By the end of the 2006 calendar year, following full introduction of its 2007 model vehicles, the company will have fulfilled the commitment of its 'Safety for Everyone' initiative. The completion is signaled by standard application of anti-lock brakes (ABS), driver and front passenger side airbags with front passenger position sensors, and side curtain airbags to virtually all Honda and Acura passenger vehicles- from the subcompact Fit to the Ridgeline pickup truck - as well as Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and rollover sensors for the side curtain airbags on all light trucks. More than 96 percent of all Acura and Honda passenger vehicles sold to date in 2006 are equipped with ABS, side airbags and side curtain airbags.

Further, American Honda has already applied VSA as standard equipment on most light truck models; including the Acura MDX and the Honda Odyssey, CR-V, Pilot and Ridgeline. With the addition of VSA to the 2007 Honda Element and the all-new 2007 Acura RDX, the company will achieve its goal of 100-percent application of VSA to all light truck models. For 2007, VSA will also be standard equipment on all Acura vehicles and V6-equipped Accord models, meaning that almost 60 percent of American Honda's total fleet will feature VSA as standard equipment in the 2007 model year.

In addition, the company will continue to expand the application of its unique Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE(TM)) body structure for enhanced occupant protection in collisions between vehicles of different sizes, with the goal of 100-percent U.S. application of ACE(TM) within the next 4-5 years. To date, the ACE(TM) body structure has been applied to the Odyssey minivan, Civic Sedan and Coupe, and Acura RL. Before the end of the calendar year, six of the company's 18 model lines will incorporate ACE(TM) technology, including the all-new Acura RDX, 2007 Acura MDX and 2007 Honda CR-V.

In the area of vehicle compatibility, Honda has taken a proactive approach and is meeting, ahead of schedule, voluntary standards for geometric compatibility and is applying its ACE(TM) body structure to all new vehicle platforms.

Based on a fundamental corporate commitment to enhance safety for all its customers as well as occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians, in October 2003, American Honda launched its 'Safety for Everyone' initiative and has steadily advanced its commitment to the application of core safety features as standard equipment on all Honda and Acura models*, regardless of size or price.

"We are committed to safety leadership and continue to research ways to bring new value to our customers through advancements in safety," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda. "This is a critical area of leadership and corporate responsibility for Honda and Acura, and something that is clearly an important priority for our customers".

STD = standard; X = not yet available;

* Only Si models of 2007 Civic feature VSA **Only V6 Accord models feature VSA

Honda Safety Leadership

Honda has a well-established history of leadership in the development and application of advanced safety technologies and the real world safety performance of all its products. Based on its commitment to offering "Safety for Everyone" through technology and innovation, Honda is improving safety for drivers and passengers of small and large vehicles and for pedestrians.

Honda research into airbag technology led to the first upwardly deploying front passenger airbags and the first use of front side airbags with occupant position detection sensors to reduce the risk of injuries caused by airbag deployment. Honda has also been a leader in the adoption of dual stage, dual threshold air bags that utilize both crash severity and seat belt use to optimize airbag deployment. Other pioneering efforts include the first small car to earn the federal government's highest crash safety rating (2001 Civic), the first small car to earn a Insurance Institute for Highway Safety "Top Safety Pick-Gold Award" rating (2006 Civic) and the first four-door pickup to earn a five-star rating for both frontal and side impacts along with the highest rollover rating of any four-door truck (2006 Ridgeline).

In addition, Honda has conducted extensive research in the area of pedestrian safety - including development of the world's most advanced pedestrian safety crash test dummy - and is applying a series of pedestrian safety features, such as collapsible wiper pivots and hood hinges, to virtually every model sold in the U.S.

Honda R&D operates two of the industry's most advanced safety research, development and testing facilities in Tochigi, Japan and in Raymond, Ohio, and continues to research further advances in safety technology and design including intelligent vehicle systems and crash mitigation technologies.