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2014 Honda Accord Hybrid [w/video]

Delivering On Promises
The 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid should surprise no one. Its look is something we've seen since the non-hybrid versions went on sale last year. Its powertrain, mostly, we are familiar with from the already-on-sale Accord Plug-In model. And the overall vibe of the car? Well, it's an Accord, which has been a strong seller in the US for three decades, so much so that there's a very good chance you've been in one at some point, whether you noticed or not.
Honda's first attempt at an Accord Hybrid, released in 2005, put dynamic performance first, but it didn't match the public's maturing perception of what a hybrid is all about: fuel economy. The 2005 version was capable of a measly 28 miles per gallon combined, 25 in the city and 33 on the highway. Remember those numbers, and that the first-generation Accord Hybrid lasted all of three model years before being axed.

Honda's Acura NSX masterstroke: building the factory in Ohio

When Honda announced it was going to build its NSX supercar in Ohio instead of Japan, it caught everybody in the industry by surprise. No one expected this proud Japanese company to build its most technologically advanced sports car anywhere but in its home country. Now Honda has a supercar production facility in rural Ohio that would be the envy of any Formula One team. The people at Honda call it the PMC, but its official name is the Performance Manufacturing Center. It's a building that started out as a shipping facility for suppliers, but Honda invested $70 million to transform it into a showcase facility that will build the NSX. Honda benchmarked the assembly operations at Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, and Bentley before work began on its facility. The 200,000 square-foot building will also double as a customer reception center – Honda will open the doors for customers to come see their car being built. It's also going to offer them high-speed test drives at the gigantic Transportation Research Center just down the road. No one expected this proud Japanese company to build its most technologically advanced sports car anywhere but in its home country. Inside, the layout is wide open and well lit. There are no stripes or lines on the floor and none of the different departments are walled off. This creates a more welcoming appearance and lets you get a comprehensive view of the entire process at a glance. And with an eye towards future lessons learned, most of the equipment is of a modular design that can be easily reconfigured or moved. The body shop and paint shop are enclosed by glass walls so that anyone can see what's going on inside. And while you'll see some automation here and there, the idea was to achieve a blend between man and machine, not to try and automate everything. This is a low-volume facility with production targeted at only eight to ten cars a day. The plant runs four days a week with one ten-hour shift. Don't expect to see rows of new NSXs parked on any dealer's lot. The car will only be built to order. Honda is obsessed with ensuring the NSX is built to the most exacting quality standards. The plant people pored over the JD Power Appeal study to determine what supercar customers care about the most, then looked at which aspects of that directly tie into manufacturing. They developed their quality control strategy with three goals in mind. First, they wanted to build everything right the first time with no adjustments.

Honda Clarity enters hydrogen competition with $369 lease price

Ok, so we were wrong. When Honda said in January that the monthly lease price for the 2017 Clarity Fuel Cell sedan would be "under $500," we assumed that that meant, oh, maybe $499. After all, that's what the two other hydrogen vehicles available in the US, the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, cost [ See below]. Given that the Mirai's $57,500 MSRP and the Clarity's then-expected $60k price tag, we figured the lease prices would pretty much match, too. Mea culpa. Honda just announced that the Clarity will lease for just $369 a month for 36 months, with $2,499 due at signing. That price includes $15,000 of fuel over three years and 20,000 annual miles. As with other advanced technology vehicles, Honda is making traditional vehicles available for times when the hydrogen car's 366-mile range and weak refueling infrastructure isn't enough to get you where you want to go. The fuel cell vehicle will be available in California at some point yet in 2016, but only to people who, "live or work near Honda's network of 12 approved fuel cell vehicle dealerships located in select California markets." There are six such dealerships in Southern California, five in the Bay Area and one in Sacramento, Honda says. UPDATE: Totally forgot that Toyota dropped Mirai pricing to $349 earlier this year. We've adjusted the headline. Related Video: Featured Gallery Honda Clarity Fuel Cell News Source: Honda Green Honda Hydrogen Cars lease honda clarity