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Honda introducing all-new EV, PHEV models by 2018

Honda finally showed off its FCV Concept (with our first glimpse of its interior) to a North American audience at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show today, but the big news from the Japanese automaker was that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will be joined in the market by two new alternative fuel vehicles by 2018. One is an all-new pure battery electric vehicle and the other is an all-new plug-in hybrid. Details on the new vehicles were slimmer than the skinniest hipster jeans in all of Detroit, but the announcement shows that Honda wants to grow its portfolio of alt-fuel powertrains in the not-too-distant future. Honda currently sells the Fit EV and various Accord hybrids, and also showed off the upcoming Acura NSX here in Detroit this week. Ryan Harty, Honda's manager of environmental business development, said that these vehicles are all in service of the upcoming stricter CAFE fuel economy requirements. "Leading up to 2025 [the 54.5 mpg level], in order to meet regulation – not just US but globally – and more to meet our customer's expectations, we think big improvements in ICE engines can meet those," he said. "But also very exciting to all of us at Honda is our upcoming electromobility products. We really are building the foundational blocks to get to where we need to go after 2025." "We want to bring these vehicles to market in significant volume." - Ryan Harty That means vehicles that devour electricity. "Honda is very optimistic about the future of electromobility," Harty said, "not just the hybrids that we've already brought out but how those hybrids and our experience with fuel cell vehicles and battery electric Fit EV and Accord plug-in hybrids is giving us the confidence to launch a brand-new generation of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This will be a new sales pillar for American Honda. We want to bring these vehicles to market in significant volume." Honda says that it will also use, "further application of two- and three-motor hybrid systems" in the US. The fuel cell concept will arrive as a production version after March 2016. That is when it is scheduled to launch in Japan, with US deliveries happening some time later. In the near-term, though, expect better VTEC turbo engines to power more Honda vehicles while using comparatively less fuel. Honda says it will invest $340 million at the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio to build a new 4-cylinder engine. Down the road, though, its electrons over petroleum.

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

New Honda Civic Natural Gas goes on sale end of November

For folks who prefer to put natural gas directly into their vehicle rather than converting it to electricity first, CNG vehicles offer a cleaner alternative to gasoline power while still using a traditional powertrain. If you're looking for a sedan that runs on CNG, your current options are pretty limited - especially in the US - and you'll almost certainly be taking a look at Honda. The 2015 Honda Civic Natural Gas goes on sale starting November 19 in 37 states. The new CNG-powered Civic sedan has a base MSRP of $26,740 (not including $790 destination fee). Opt for the Leather Navi trim, and you're still looking at a starting price below $30,000 (before destination), at $29,390. It comes equipped with a seven-inch touchscreen audio display, rearview camera and LaneWatch display as standard features. It's built at Honda's Greensburg, IN manufacturing facility. The 2015 Civic Natural Gas can only be had with the five-speed automatic transmission. Its fuel economy is rated at a gasoline gallon equivalent of 27 miles per gallon in the city/38 highway/31 combined. It's not quite as impressive as the Civic Hybrid's 44/47/45 rating, but you will be burning natural gas, which burns cleaner and can be sourced from North America, if you're into that sort of thing. Furthermore, the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy called the Civic Natural Gas one of its top 10 greenest vehicles of 2014, and Kelley Blue Book as one of its 10 Best Green Cars. Learn more in Honda's press release below. 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas Provide Superior Environmental Performance With Sophistication and Value - Automotive and environmental experts recognize the Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas as among the best green cars of 2014 - Available features include 7-inch touchscreen Display Audio, leather-trimmed seats, Honda LaneWatch™ and standard rearview camera - 2015 Civic Hybrid launches Nov. 5, and 2015 Civic Natural Gas goes on-sale in 37 states beginning Nov. 19 TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Joining the already released 2015 Civic Sedan, Civic Coupe and Civic Si, the 2015 Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas vehicles provide consumers with additional choices for even greater fuel efficiency and environmental performance from an already fuel-efficient lineup. The 2015 Civic Hybrid launches at Honda dealers nationwide on November 5 with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) starting at $24,7352.