American Honda Motor Co. has been named by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) as the 2004 Greenest Automaker in the organisation’s biennial ranking of car manufacturers’ environmental performance.
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It’s the third consecutive number one ranking of Honda in the UCS study. Compared with the UCS’s 2002 findings, Honda actually increased its lead over other automakers in reducing both greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions across the full range of its product lineup, the UCS said.
According to the UCS, Honda increased its lead by building vehicles that produce less than half the smog-forming pollutants of the industry average and 18 percent less heat-trapping emissions
“Honda is in a class of its own when it comes to producing clean cars and trucks,” said David Friedman, Research Director of UCS’s Clean Vehicles Program and lead author of the report.
“This award reflects our commitment to apply the latest technologies for reduced emissions and improved fuel efficiency across our complete product line,” said Ed Cohen, vice president of government affairs, accepting the award. “It’s a commitment that goes to our core objective of being a company that society wants to exist.”
The UCS study, titled Automaker Rankings 2004: The Environmental Performance of Car Companies, is the third instalment of the only comprehensive ranking of automakers’ environmental performance. The report analyzes the six largest automakers in the U.S. market, which together account for nine out of every 10 vehicles sold in this country. The study evaluates data on smog-forming pollution and heat-trapping emissions from each vehicle manufacturer’s fleet using model year 2003 sales information and certification standards. The report rates the pollution performance of the average vehicle produced by each company; total sales volume does not influence the results.
On fuel efficiency, Honda vehicles -including two Honda hybrid models (Insight and Civic Hybrid) – captured four of the top five spots in the EPA’s 2004 fuel economy rankings. With the introduction of the Accord Hybrid at Honda dealerships nationwide this Friday, Dec. 10, Honda becomes the only automaker to offer U.S. customers three distinct hybrid models and the first company to offer a V6-powered hybrid.
The UCS also said that Honda leads in the development of alternative fuel technologies including hydrogen fuel cells. The company’s FCX fuel cell vehicle is the only Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) to earn certification from the EPA and CARB for regular commercial use.
