When
Toyota introduced its redesigned Prius in 2004, it established
a new standard for hybrid cars. The 2004 model (carried over to
the 2005 model) was bigger, faster, more fuel efficient, and more
stylized than the first-generation Prius. Many consumers thought
the new Prius also pushed the envelope in terms of ugliness. Without
a doubt, the Prius’s curvy jelly-bean-like design and coloring,
as well as its funky high-tech dashboard monitor and “start”
button, gave it an unmistakable identity.
At that time, the Prius’s only competition was the Honda
Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid. Certainly the two-seater Insight,
with its own quirky teardrop design, had and continues to have
a unique identity. But with only two seats, the Insight is quickly
dropped from most hybrid shopping lists.
On the other hand, the Civic Hybrid suffers from a complete identity
crisis. The Civic Hybrid looks just like a regular Civic. A small
number of buyers preferred the Civic’s incognito approach,
but not enough to win the day. Honda lost its wager that the mainstream
market would snap up a hybrid if it offered the benefits of hybrid
technology without looking so strange. The Prius pulled away from
the Honda hybrids in the battle for public perception, and has
never looked back. In the first half of 2005, Toyota sold 53,308
Priuses, while Honda only mustered 12,631 sales of the Civic Hybrid.
It’s too bad for Honda—and the car-buying public—that
Toyota out-marketed their competitor so badly. At $20,000, compared
to the Prius’s $25,000+ out-the-door price tag, the Civic
Hybrid is an affordable, dependable, well-designed hybrid that
comes within a few mpg’s of the Prius’s outstanding
fuel efficiency numbers, and matches its low-emission standards.
Marketing aside, Toyota did beat out Honda on the technology
front by producing a vehicle that runs a small percentage of the
time in all-electric mode. Honda’s current hybrids don’t
do that, but instead employ other efficiency strategies to achieve
very similar results.
A Rebound for the Honda Civic Hybrid?
Taking a page from Toyota’s playbook, Honda announced in
July 2005 that the 2006 Civic Hybrid will sport a snazzy new design
to distinguish it from the conventional Civic—and more importantly,
will achieve five percent greater fuel efficiency and 20 percent
more power. The new Civic Hybrid will juice up its battery output,
enhance its regenerative braking system, and deliver a full-hybrid
system that can run part of the time strictly on electricity.
This is the equivalent of Honda taking its gentleman gloves, and
slapping Toyota across the face. (“Paces at five?”)
The ultimate winner of the hybrid duel is the consumer, who will
benefit from two viable alternatives for a moderately priced sedan
with fuel economy hovering around 50 miles-to-the-gallon.
Honda will exercise all its engineering muscle to achieve the
improvements to the Civic Hybrid:
- The use of an electric-only no-combustion mode for low-speed
cruising—unlike Toyota’s hybrids, which runs all-electric
during start-up.
- A “3-stage I-VTEC engine” that employs Honda’s
variable valve system, allowing cylinders to open and close
during various states of acceleration and cruising.
- An air-conditioning system that runs off the electric motor,
alleviating the need to pull energy from the engine unless you
need to cool down quickly.
- The use of friction-reducing efficiency-boosting engine design,
such as aluminum die-cast pistons, ion-plated piston rings,
and smoother surfaces on the cylinder walls.
- A new Honda-developed electric motor with high-density windings
and high-performance magnets to wring one-and-a-half times the
output while maintaining the same size. The overall powertrain
is also smaller.
- Better integration of the electric motor and control units
for more precise digital control.
The release of the new Honda Civic Hybrid is scheduled for October
2005. If Honda delivers on its promise to out-Prius the Prius,
then the Honda-Toyota hybrid duel will return to the arena of
public perception. According to Automotive News, both companies
will be launching hybrid marketing campaigns in the fall. Toyota
will be trying to push beyond their substantial base of early
adopters to mainstream customers who don’t know the first
thing about hybrids. And Honda will be working to let consumers
know that the Prius is not the only choice for getting more miles
out of an increasingly expensive gallon of gas.
