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Honda to Unveil High Mileage Hybrid Vehicle at NAIAS in Detroit

22 December 1998

Honda to Unveil High Mileage Hybrid Vehicle at NAIAS in Detroit; Will Share Center Stage With 240 Horsepower S2000 Roadster

    TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 21 -- Honda will unveil the prototype
for a new hybrid vehicle, which will go on sale in late 1999, at the upcoming
North American International Auto Show in Detroit that is capable of averaging
more than 70 miles per gallon of gasoline in combined city/highway driving,
American Honda Motor, Co., Inc., announced today.  Honda is the first company
to announce plans to sell a hybrid vehicle next year.
    The Honda hybrid will share center stage at the show with the new Honda
S2000 roadster prototype.  The high tech S2000 is powered by a 240-horsepower,
4-cylinder engine, putting out more horsepower per liter than any normally
aspirated car in the world.
    "The S2000 and V V are two very different examples of advanced Honda
technologies," said Tom Elliott, American Honda executive vice president.
"The S2000 is a true driver's car and represents Honda's heritage of competing
and winning on race tracks around the world.  The V V reinforces Honda's long
history of bringing environmentally responsible vehicles to market ahead of
the competition."
    The Honda hybrid, developed under the code name V V, features the further
evolution of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system first shown in the
J-VX concept car at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show.  The IMA system features an
extremely efficient 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder, lean-burn VTEC engine that is
"assisted" by an electric motor during acceleration.
    The IMA system is coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission and is
capable of performance levels produced by a typical 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder
engine.
    In addition to nearly doubling the fuel economy of the leading gasoline-
powered  cars on the market, the V V also is engineered to meet California's
Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) standard, currently the most stringent
standard in the world.  The combination of ultra-low emissions and ultra-high
fuel economy will make the Honda V V hybrid one of the most environmentally
responsible vehicles on the road.
    The V V, a two-seat personal coupe, also features a highly aerodynamic
design and extensive use of lightweight materials, including aluminum and
plastic body panels.  It will weigh in at less than 2000 pounds.
    Both the S2000 and V V will go on sale at Honda dealers in the fall/winter
of 1999 as year 2000 models.