Future Honda Models

Honda FCX

The hydrogen-powered 2008 Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle will enter the U.S. market on a limited basis in Southern California starting in summer 2008. "Full details of the lease program will be set closer to launch, but current plans call for a three-year lease term with a price of $600 per month, including maintenance and collision insurance," said American Honda. Striking a reassuring note, the automaker said it is developing a service infrastructure. "When the FCX Clarity requires periodic maintenance, customers will simply schedule a visit with their local Honda dealer," the company said. Honda will transport the vehicle to the service facility. Honda says its FCX Clarity achieves the approximate equivalent of 68 mpg combined fuel economy or about two to three times the fuel economy of a typical gas-powered car. Driving range is 270 miles. Honda continues to refine its fuel cell system and notes that the FCX Clarity has an advanced new lithium-ion battery pack that is 40 percent lighter and 50 percent smaller than the current-generation FCX's ultra-capacitor. The company said it has achieved a 45 percent reduction in the size of the fuel-cell powertrain to the point where it is almost equivalent to a gas-electric hybrid powertrain.
Honda Hybrid

Honda will roll out a more affordable hybrid-electric car in 2009, a timetable which perhaps not coincidentally matches the forecast arrival of the new Fit subcompact. A smaller car than today's Civic and Accord hybrids not only presents the potential for greater fuel efficiency, but also for a lower price tag because of the more spartan content that is acceptable in the subcompact segment. "We believe hybridization is optimally applied to smaller vehicles," explained Ben Knight, vice president, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. "We are developing an all-new, purpose-built hybrid vehicle, scheduled for introduction later this decade that will meet the needs of a family at a price beneath the Civic Hybrid," he added. Asked whether some of the cost savings could come from reduced content in addition to improving the cost-efficiency of electric drive components, Knight would say only that the new car will be competitively equipped for its class.
Honda Stream

There are rumors out of Japan that the 2009 Honda Stream will make its way to the U.S. The Honda Stream is a tall wagon similar to the Mazda 5 and Kia Rondo. It's currently sold in Japan under the same name, and would probably cost between $18,000 and $23,000 in the U.S.