Pictures of the next generation of the popular Honda Accord have already been circulating on the web. Most first impressions usually hover around the fact that the new Accord looks bigger than the present car and that it seems to have lost some of its character.
Regardless of what people might think of the styling of Honda's new mid-size sedan, the one thing that is certain is that there will be no hybrid version when the new car arrives in showrooms. The reason for the demise of the Accord Hybrid is self-explanatory: It does not sell.
Deliveries have been dwindling since the car was first introduced in the fall of 2004. So far this year, sales have been down almost 50%. Honda has found at the same time that hybrid powertrains are more fuel-efficient in smaller vehicles and that diesel makes more sense for larger vehicles from an efficiency standpoint.
For 2008, Honda will continue to sell the Civic Hybrid and by the following model year, there are plans to introduce another hybrid that will position itself below the Civic.
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Regardless of what people might think of the styling of Honda's new mid-size sedan, the one thing that is certain is that there will be no hybrid version when the new car arrives in showrooms. The reason for the demise of the Accord Hybrid is self-explanatory: It does not sell.
Deliveries have been dwindling since the car was first introduced in the fall of 2004. So far this year, sales have been down almost 50%. Honda has found at the same time that hybrid powertrains are more fuel-efficient in smaller vehicles and that diesel makes more sense for larger vehicles from an efficiency standpoint.
For 2008, Honda will continue to sell the Civic Hybrid and by the following model year, there are plans to introduce another hybrid that will position itself below the Civic.
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