Honda: Hybrids to Equal 10% of Production by 2015
Original Source: http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com
Author: Thomas Miners
Original Publication Date: July 21, 2010
July 21, 2010 – In an effort to keep pace with its rival, Japan’s largest carmaker Toyota, Honda’s CEO announced this week that the company is planning to sell a plug-in hybrid vehicle as well as a battery powered electric vehicle in the United States and Japan in 2012.
The announcement comes at a time when the majority of the world’s largest automakers are not only planning on rolling out high-efficiency hybrid’s in the coming year, but also have all-electric vehicles in the pipeline for medium-term offerings. The company has significantly shortened their time to market for the EV, as last April they announced that their electric offering wouldn’t hit showrooms until 2015.
The company has set a goal of raising the ratio of hybrid vehicles to standard models to 10% of total production by 2015. Current hybrid production accounts for only 5% of total vehicle volume. The company also announced plans to offer a two-wheeled vehicle to compete in China’s huge electrical bicycle market, according to Reuters.
Honda’s largest rival, Toyota, is the maker of the world’s most popular hybrid, the Prius, and will be offering an all-electric vehicle on year ahead of Honda in 2011. Toyota also recently formed a partnership with fledgling U.S. electric automaker Tesla, which will revive the recently closed NUMMI plant in Fremont CA.
