The US version of the Accord Hybrid, arriving at dealer showrooms in mid-2013, will be getting much lower mileage. Honda anticipates it will get 47 combined miles per gallon, with 49 in the city and 45 on the highway. The disparity of the Japanese and US ratings is due to the different MPG scales being used in Japan and the US – and other markets. For example, in a press release on the Ford Fiesta being sold in Europe and gaining class-leading fuel economy, Ford Europe said in a footnote, “The results may differ from fuel economy figures in other regions of the world due to the different drive cycles and regulations used in those markets.” Japan’s JC08 standard repeatedly returns higher mpg numbers than the EPA’s tests do.
The Accord Hybrid will be powered by a two-motor hybrid drive system, a version of which will also go into the Accord Plug-In Hybrid. The Accord Hybrid is expected to sell for slightly more than three million yen, or the equivalent of about $34,356. Honda expects to produce about 10,000 units per year. The Accord Plug-In Hybrid can be recharged from ordinary power outlets, and will also be rolled out in June in Japan. There, the plug-in hybrid will be available only for leasing by businesses and municipalities.
