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Honda Kills Accord Hybrid, Rental Availability to Decline
In what could have been a glowing success for the hybrid market, ended in a flop on June 8, 2007 as Honda announced that it was going to discontinue production of it’s Accord Hybrid due to poor sales. The Accord Hybrid has been available for sale since the 2004 model year. All told, Honda sold slightly more than 24,000 Accord Hybrids since it’s introduction, which equates to 10% of the total number of Accords sold during that same period.
The poor sales were blamed on the car’s overall design. Most hybrid cars are built with fuel economy in mind and as such mate miserly four-cylinder engines with electric engines. By contrast the Honda Accord Hybrid’s electric engine assists the gasoline engine during energy intensive driving periods such as accelerating from a stop. The end result was a car that could outperform competitors such as the Chevy Impala and VW Passat while trying to maintain green credentials and even then the Honda hybrid failed. During extensive road tests the online magazine CNET reported 23.5 miles per gallon for the Accord Hybrid while owners of the conventional Honda Accord reported 24.9 miles per gallon.
With the Accord Hybrid being discontinued, Fox Rent a Car will have to find another option for those seeking to rent a full size hybrid car. Possible options include the Toyota Camry hybrid or perhaps the Saturn Aura Hybrid. Fox will still rent a variety of hybrid cars including the Hybrid Highlander by Toyota, the Toyota Prius and Honda’s Civic Hybrid.
When asked about the discontinuation of the Honda Accord Hybrid, Lee Gientke, the owner of www.hybrid-rental-car.com commented saying, “while this is unfortunate for Honda in the near term, the move should allow Honda to focus on hybrid cars that offer true fuel economy.” He further added, “We at hybrid rental car.com hope that despite changing market conditions hope that Fox Rental Car will continue with it’s offerings of hybrid vehicles for rent. Consumers certainly want to drive hybrid cars and we urge the major companies like Enterprise, Hertz and Avis Rental Car to rent hybrid cars as a normal course of business.”
Topics: Honda Accord Hybrid |