Envoyé par Leftlane News
Civic Hybrid owner sues Honda for false mileage claims
A Honda Civic hybrid owner in Southern California is suing Honda because his car has not met the high level of fuel economy that he claims Honda advertises. The owner, John True, said that he averaged only 32 miles per gallon in mixed driving over 6,000 miles.
The Detroit News reports that True, a professional jazz pianist, paid $28,740 for a Civic Hybrid - an extraordinary figure considering Civics top out around $25,000 - because he wanted higher fuel economy from his car. Honda advertises 49 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway, figures reported by the EPA. True says that Honda's internal figures don't match the EPA's and that the automaker intentionally uses high figures in its advertising despite knowledge that the cars don't actually meet the EPA's results in real-world situations.
Months ago, the EPA announced new testing that is expected to reduce fuel economy for all cars, regardless of motor, by 12 percent in the city and 8 percent on the highway. The EPA's new figures are designed to better represent modern driving, which has changed due to a variety of reasons since the current testing was designed 20 years ago.
Still, hybrid car owners and the media regularly complain that the cars aren't meeting anything near the advertised fuel economy claims. This marks the first time a hybrid owner has challenged a manufacturer in a court of law.