Honda on Thursday unveiled the latest hybrid Civic, powered by a petrol-electric engine, that it hopes will get attention from drivers fed up with surging petrol prices, the Associated Press reported.
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The new hybrid model is about 280,000 yen ($US2,500) more expensive than the revamped petrol-powered model that Honda also rolled out in Japan on Thursday which runs about 2.1 million yen ($18,900), AP added.
Honda first introduced a hybrid Civic in December 2001, the report noted.
The Associated Press said president Takeo Fukui conceded that the added expense is still a turn-off for consumers but the company forecasts unit sales of the new Civic hybrid to climb to 40,000 cars globally, up 50% from the current hybrid model.
“Unless (the gap) narrows to about 200,000 yen ($1,800), it will be difficult to have full-fledged growth,” Fukui reportedly said.
The Associated Press said the new Civic hybrid will be sold first in Japan, and later this year or early next year in North America and Japan.
