"Detroit's automakers are fixating on Toyota Motor Corp. as their biggest threat, but Honda, Japan's No. 2 carmaker, is also gaining on them. Together, Toyota and Honda account for a fourth of U.S. auto sales,..." "Honda's emphasis on technology positions it to become an even stronger rival in the future. "In many areas, we take Honda more seriously than Toyota, especially when it comes to engine technology," said Bob Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors Corp. "Honda doesn't have the scale of Toyota, but they're also on a very fast track." "It has already achieved more breakthroughs in alternative technologies than many larger rivals. In 1999, it introduced the first hybrid to the U.S. market, the Insight. It sells a Civic GX running on natural gas. It expects to market a clean diesel car in all 50 U.S. states in 2009, and its FCX is the only fuel-cell car certified as street legal by the U.S. government. It showed a second-generation FCX in Detroit and plans to make it available in 2008 to customers living in areas with hydrogen refueling stations." http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../703090400/1148
I remember from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey that Death hooked them up with the most brilliant mind in all the universe: Station. When they met him, they said, "what?" Death replied, "You honestly think that the most brilliant mind in all the universe would be from Earth?" I just thought that was mildly relevant.
Honda has had a great history of offering greener vehicles, but I'm concerned they are tripping up lately. It's definitely not because they are slackards - unlike Detroit they are trying. They have made progress on fuel cells, but that's not around the corner, the IMA is not conducive to plug-in technology (last I've checked). Clean diesel seems like the most promising thing in the short term for Honda. I know Toyota and Honda working together is about like the Hatsfields and McCoys meanding fences, but can you imagine what an HSD hybrid with a Honda ICE could do?
Yeah, but what's it gonna charge? A million dollars? <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Mar 10 2007, 10:44 AM) [snapback]403423[/snapback]</div> Sure, maybe EPA 57 MPG average instead of Prius's 55. If an automaker really wants to move into the future, it can take a lesson from the past and get back into EVs. Honda could probably put an EV on the road before tiny Tesla Motors, if it wanted to. For that matter, why fuel cells in the FCX? Why not batteries?
