Honda to Discontinue Hybrid Accord

[1931Chevy]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070605/whith...rids.html?.v=9
NEW YORK (AP) -- With gas prices reaching record high levels and increasing public interest in environmentally friendly technologies, you would think that any car labeled as a hybrid would sell easily.

But Honda Motor Co. on Tuesday announced that it will discontinue the hybrid version of its Accord sedan, citing disappointing sales.

Analysts said that despite the Accord's superior performance compared with some of its higher-volume competitors, it just doesn't fit with the current consumer demands for the smallest, cheapest hybrids with eye-popping fuel economy.

Brian Chee, an analyst with the vehicle research firm Autobytel.com, said the Accord's relatively low fuel economy and high price tag compared with other hybrid vehicles made it a tough sell.

"It was a pretty perky performance car that it was fun to drive, but it was expensive and it was not exactly what people were looking for as far as a hybrid," Chee said. "It was a clean-burning performance vehicle, but people wanted a hybrid with fuel economy."
The hybrid Accord gets an estimated 28 miles to the gallon in the city and starts at about $31,090, while the hybrid version of the company's smaller Civic sedan gets about 49 miles per gallon and starts around $22,600, according to Honda's Web site.

[coaster.n3rd]

Hmmm... I think the Aura/Malibu will do a better job than the ill fated hybrid Accord. They are very inexpensive.

[FoMoCo Fan]

The thing is, the Prius is almost as large as the Accord inside!

[montrealvue]

Honda has an ace up their sleeve....they are replacing it with an Accord diesel ! ...its about time!

[chickenkicker]

I listen to the radio every day during my 2 hour commute and a lot of the radio stations were bashing Honda for killing the Accord Hybrid saying Toyota cares more than them, why kill a hybrid with such high gas prices, etc. I was surprised both by the fact that this has gotten a lot of coverage on TV and radio and that people are reacting so negatively to it, especially since it's Honda. Honestly when I heard they were killing it I thought it was about time.

[mystikranger]

Originally Posted by montrealvue

Honda has an ace up their sleeve....they are replacing it with an Accord diesel ! ...its about time!

Yea, exactly what I was thinking. They'll churn out that rumored diesel to add an alternative to the hybrid.

[Koasterking]

I read this in the newspaper today. On the bright side, this will bring sales to the Aura Greenline and the Malibu Hybrid later.

[yoblues]

Originally Posted by chickenkicker

I listen to the radio every day during my 2 hour commute and a lot of the radio stations were bashing Honda for killing the Accord Hybrid saying Toyota cares more than them, why kill a hybrid with such high gas prices, etc. I was surprised both by the fact that this has gotten a lot of coverage on TV and radio and that people are reacting so negatively to it, especially since it's Honda. Honestly when I heard they were killing it I thought it was about time.

It is going away because all these tree hugging loudmouths were not buying them?

[magneto112]

Performacne and Accord really dont go together. I dont know who they were fooling. It was the wrong time IMO. The only other hybrids out when it was first released were the Prius, Civic, and Insight. All 3 focusing on fuel efficiency and not performance. It should have been paired with the 4-xylinder model instead of making a 32K Accord Hybrid that didnt really deliever much on what was promised.