2012 Honda Civic Lx Sedan 4-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Next-gen Honda Accord PHEV may have 39-mile EV range [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Disregard what The Asahi Shimbun said on this. The paper apparently conflated the upcoming Clarity-based PHEV and the non-plug Accord Hybrid and has since updated its article. We got an email from Honda clarifying the situation: The refreshed Accord Hybrid, slated to launch in the middle of this year, will not have a plug-in variant. Honda will bring a new, dedicated plug-in hybrid to market by 2018 that leverages the same platform that underpins the upcoming Clarity Fuel Cell. This new PHEV will feature more than triple the 13-mile electric range of the last generation Accord Plug-in Hybrid. We apologize for the error. Honda's next-generation Accord Plug-in Hybrid could triple the previous model's electric driving range when the new one debuts in the US in 2018. To achieve such a significant improvement, the company would equip the PHEV with a higher capacity battery of the same physical size and more efficient electric motors, according to the The Asahi Shimbun. The next Accord PHEV could drive the equivalent of 68 miles in EV mode, the newspaper claims. However, we believe this figure comes from the Japanese test on electric models, which produces higher figures than the US evaluation. Tripling the 2014 Accord Plug-in's EPA-estimated 13-mile range suggests a number closer to 39 miles when the new generation reaches this country. A figure around 39 miles would still make the 2018 Accord a contender among the current PHEV sedans. For example, the EPA rates the Hyundai Sonata Plug-in at a 27-mile range and estimates the Ford Fusion Energi at 20 miles. The latest Chevrolet Volt, which would likely be smaller than the Honda, wins out with 53 miles of driving distance, though. Honda plans a new pure EV and PHEV in its US lineup by 2018, and the plug-in shares a chassis with the upcoming FCEV fuel cell sedan. The next-gen Accord would give the company another flavor of PHEV to offer customers, too. American Honda Motor Executive Vice President John Mendel told Autoblog last year the company would update the standard Accord Hybrid in 2016 and introduce the next PHEV variant here in 2018. Related Video:

Best gas mileage cars

If you're looking for the cars with the best gas mileage, your best bets are hybrids and EVs, and with the latter, then it's a case of energy efficiency considering the lack of gasoline. But maybe you don't like the idea of an electrified vehicle. Maybe you're concerned about more complicated powertrains or new technologies. Maybe you're put off by the extra up-front cost of those vehicles. So what's the best way to get good fuel economy, without batteries? Well, we've pulled together the 10 most fuel-efficient cars that only run on gasoline. Best Gas Mileage Cars for 2024: 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage and Mirage G4 View 27 Photos Mitsubishi Mirage: 39 mpg combined When you can't be electrified, you need to achieve high efficiency with other strategies. In the case of the Mitsubishi Mirage, those come from low weight (just 2,084 pounds) and low power (just 78 horsepower). That's how the Mirage manages to top the list at 39 mpg combined. In the city it gets 36 mpg, and on the highway it manages 43, both of which are tops in this list, too. That just applies to the hatchback, though. The sedan would technically be second on the list with 37 mpg combined, but we're generally lumping together body styles. The other big draw of the Mirage is that it's incredibly cheap and has a long warranty. The base hatchback starts at $18,110 with destination, making it one of the cheapest cars on the road. And it has a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. So if you're looking for maximum frugality above literally all else, it's hard to top the Mirage. Honda Civic: 36 mpg combined While the Mirage wins technically, it makes many compromises to achieve its price and fuel economy. The rest of the list provides far better balancing of economy with being quality modern automobiles. And coming in second is the Honda Civic sedan (pictured at the top of this article) in EX trim with the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder and CVT. This variant manages 33 mpg in the city, 42 on the highway and 36 combined. Going to the Touring trim drops fuel economy to 34 combined, and the 2.0-liter non-turbo engine gets between 33 and 35. The most efficient hatchback gets 35 mpg combined. The hatch is even available with a manual transmission, but it's also the least efficient (31 mpg). Then there's the Si and Type R, but with much more power and handling upgrades, they're basically different models. Regardless, almost every version of the Civic is quite frugal.

Honda invests $215M in Ohio Earth Dreams production

Honda has announced a $215 million investment in a pair of its Ohio operations, taking its total tally for North American operations up to $2.7 billion in three years. The announcement was made at the 2013 Center For Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.
$180 million of the investment is earmarked for Honda's Anna, OH engine plant. The money will allow the facility to increase its aluminum die casting and increase production of Honda's Earth Dreams Technology engines. Think of Earth Dreams as sort of like Mazda's Skyactiv line, only ED is limited to a new line of engines, rather than a full suite of automotive components. Anna will also be getting a new technical center to train engineers, techs, and line workers on powertrain technology.
The remaining $35 million is slated for Honda's main Ohio operations in Marysville. A 160,000-square-foot facility will be constructed near Honda's current properties, which will house another technical training center to focus on automotive manufacturing. The new building will also house Honda's North American Services group, as well as a new heritage center.