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WSJ: On hybrid cars
FWIW, my conclusion: with hybrid cars selling faster than they are being produced, U.S. will cut gasoline needs by 20-30% w/in decade Note: only Wall Street Journal subscribers can access, so I give you the entire articleHonda's New Hybrid Takes New Tack: It's a Feel-Good Car, Not a Do-Good Car The gas-electric hybrid-car market isn't up to Baskin-Robbins's level yet, but it's about to get some important new flavors. In December, Honda plans to roll out the next major hybrid entry: a gas-electric version of its best-selling model, the Honda Accord sedan. The first gas-electric hybrid cars offered in the U.S. market came in one style: Science Project. Honda's Insight and the first edition of the Toyota Prius generated more media buzz than sales, mainly because they were tiny, not very powerful cars once you got past the initial "wow!" of driving a car that promised to go as much as 70 miles on a gallon of gas. Honda's new gas-electric hybrid Accord. The Accord Hybrid, which I got to drive briefly last week, is another proposition entirely. This time, Honda is using its hybrid technology to make a small, six-cylinder engine feel like a beefy, large-displacement six from Detroit or Munich -- but with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder Honda Civic. The Accord Hybrid's purpose isn't just to give the Honda brand a green halo. It's to give the midpriced model line -- which trades largely on its reputation for durability and practicality -- some extra prestige with consumers who like action when they hit the gas. The Hybrid Accord will be rated at 255 horsepower, compared with 240 for the regular Accord V-6, and will generate 9% more torque. Torque is the force that you feel in your fanny when you hit the gas; by adding what amounts to an extra motor and a battery pack to the stock 3.0 liter Accord V-6, Honda has produced a car that has more of it than a 3.8 liter V-6 Buick LeSabre -- the epitome of large-displacement Detroit sixes. This is a difference you can feel. The Hybrid Accord accelerates with far more authority than its nonhybrid sibling. Hey, that thing got a Hybrid in it? Sweet! Posted by: trailing wife 2004-10-11 |
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