And you had better like it as Canadian Civic Hybrids are only available in automatic guise. For a 5-speed manual you'll have to take a trip across the border to the States. At $28,500 (USD$19,550), the 2003 Civic Hybrid costs about $7,000 more than the regular gasoline-powered version with the same added convenience and safety features, such as a standard automatic transmission and side airbags. And that doesn't even factor in the upgraded interior.
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| On top of the money you'll save on gas, General Motors is lobbying the federal government to follow the lead taken by Ontario and the United States in offering tax incentives to consumers who buy fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
But there's also economy to be found even beyond the car's incredible gas mileage, depending on your jurisdiction - i.e. outside of Canada unless you live in Ontario. That's where Civic Hybrid owners qualify for a $2,000 tax incentive. Currently there are no federal incentives, no other province offers anything. That includes environmentally aware British Columbia, which lags embarrassingly behind considering it's the country's hotbed for fuel cell and alternative fuels research. Another strange but true fact has BC offering tax concessions for alternative fueled vehicles over $47,000. A car like the Civic Hybrid doesn't qualify because of its lower retail price. However, BC's mandatory vehicle insurance carrier, ICBC, does offer a $100 rebate for insurance on a hybrid electric vehicle. Yippee!
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| "Four doors of pure fun that you can count on to get you where you want to go," according to a Honda brochure. The added benefit of doing something right for the world doesn't hurt either. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
General Motors was recently in Ottawa lobbying the federal government to follow the lead taken by Ontario and the United States in offering tax incentives to consumers who buy fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. GM's first hybrids will be the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado pickup trucks.
And just what tax incentives are offered stateside? A one-time USD$2,000 Clean-Fuel Vehicle Federal tax deduction makes a sizable dent in the much lower $22,000 U.S. Civic Hybrid MSRP. If you live in the U.S. you can get new information on this added savings and how to begin a claim by visiting Honda's U.S. website at www.hondacars.com. Individual states also have their own tax incentives. For more information contact your local Honda dealer.