Tuesday June 26, 7:57 am Eastern Time
Honda to Eliminate Prelude
Honda to Eliminate High-Performance Prelude, Introduce Hybrid Version of Civic
biz.yahoo.com
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Honda will introduce a hybrid gasoline-electric version of its popular Civic model next year and cease production of the Prelude, its high-performance, sporty coupe.
The new Civic sedan should be on the market by March, with the automaker hoping it will triple Honda's U.S. sales of fuel-efficient, hybrid vehicles, USA Today reported on its Web site Monday. Production of the Prelude,
meanwhile, will be discontinued after next year.
It will be replaced in 2003 by another coupe of ``completely different design,'' Honda's U.S. sales chief, executive vice president Dick Colliver, told the newspaper. He said the coupe market ``is very competitive. (Prelude is) built in Japan, and we haven't been able to get the cost down.'' Colliver said Honda will also beginning selling a version of the Acura MDX sport utility vehicle soon. Acura is Honda's luxury model brand. The moves reflect changing times in the auto industry, as manufacturers look to counter complaints of rising gas prices with more fuel efficient vehicles and to eliminate poor-selling models.
Although the Prelude is popular with sports-car enthusiasts for its high-performance engine and crisp handling, Ford's Mustang outsells it 12-1 and even Honda's modest two-seat Insight, its first hybrid model, outsold it last month. Sales of the Insight two-door coupe last month were up 138 percent compared to May 2000. The sale of 903 Insights last month also broke the previous single-month record of 573, set in April. Hybrids maximize fuel efficiency by combining an electric motor with a gasoline engine to produce better mileage as well as less pollution. |
