Honda starts building flex-fuel City sedan in Brazil

Here in North America, the only non-gasoline fueled cars offered by Honda are the natural gas-powered Civic GX and the hydrogen-fueled FCX Clarity. You can buy diesel-powered Hondas in Europe and, in Brazil, ethanol is the preferred alternative. Honda Automoveis do Brasil Ltda has just launched production and sales of a flex-fuel version of the compact City sedan in the South American country. After September of this year, availability will spread to other South American markets, as well as Mexico. The City uses a 1.5-liter four cylinder engine with a choice of 5-speed automatic or manual transmissions. Honda expects to sell about 17,000 units in the first year. The press release is after the jump.

[Source: Honda]

Honda Begins Production and Sales of City in Brazil

SÃO PAULO, Brazil, July 24, 2009 – Honda Automoveis do Brasil Ltda. (HAB), Honda's automobile production and sales subsidiary in Brazil, began sales of the City FFV (Fuel Flexible Vehicle) in Brazil. The production of the model is underway at HAB's plant. The company is planning to begin export of this model to Mexico and other countries of South America starting from September 2009.

City became the third model produced by HAB locally in Brazil following Civic and Fit whose production began in 1997 and 2003, respectively. The price of the City FFV starts from R$56,210 (approximately 2.75 million yen at an exchange rate of R$1=49 yen), and the company plans to sell 17,000 units in 2009.

The City FFV was developed based on the third-generation City, which is currently being sold in Thailand and other countries, adapting some specifications to accommodate specific needs in the Brazilian market. The design of the City is based on the total pursuit of a vehicle with road presence within a compact, yet dynamic form. In addition, class-leading* interior space was achieved to create a cabin that surrounds the occupants with an open and secure feeling. The City is equipped with a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine, which is further advanced in every direction including engine output, fuel economy and environmental performance. Furthermore, with its advanced safety and environmental performance, the City offers values in every area at a high level, setting a new benchmark in the subcompact sedan category.

Honda City was first introduced in Thailand in 1996. Cumulative sales of the City now exceed 1.2 million units in over 45 countries around the world.

[ About City FFV ]

[ About Honda Automoveis do Brasil Ltda. ]

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2009-07-29T08:01:00+00:00