Diesel direction for larger Hondas

Honda will direct its engine development focus to diesel for its large cars and leave hybrid options to the Civic-sized models. That's the news from Honda UK chief (and Honda Europe board member) Ken Keir.
 
Speaking at the recent international launch of the Honda Accord Euro, Keir said: "We see the future as large cars, diesel; and smaller cars, hybrid. That's the principal from where we're coming. So we're developing diesels for the bigger cars."
 
The turbodiesel engines are not likely to be smaller than the 2.2-litre i-DTEC unit offered to European markets in the new Accord.
 
"Hybrid is an interesting one: it's still embryonic... We sold less than 10,000 hybrids last year. [But] we're bringing in a global hybrid next year, and there's another after that," he says.
 
The 'standalone' global hybrid model (new Civic) will be available in the UK early 2009 and the CR-Z sport-oriented hybrid will follow (more here).
 
Keir suggests buyers are increasingly sizing-up hybrid as just another option, rather than "something special".
 
"In the UK, 20 per cent of the sales for the current hybrid Civic are because they wanted a four-door Civic [Ed: the Civic Hybrid is the sole Civic sedan offered in the UK]. The fact that it was hybrid didn't matter. I'm encouraged by how quickly hybrid is becoming accepted."
 
Keir confirmed Honda's hybrid development would remain focused on petrol-powered base engines. Unlike some European competitors, his company was not developing diesel-hybrid options, especially considering the increasing price of diesel.
 
"We've never been able to substantiate this. Repeatedly we are told that diesel is a core product of crude oil. You use much more crude oil to produce diesel than petrol, which is a by-product. If that's the case, the economics of a small diesel hybrid may not be as positive," he says.
 
Though the new Euro is just around the corner -- with local deliveries of petrol-powered models expected late June -- Aussies are still waiting for confirmation of Honda's plans to introduce an i-DTEC turbodiesel variant locally.
 
The hold up stems from the fact Honda currently offers the i-DTEC engine mated with a six-speed manual gearbox only. Aussie buyers want a turbodiesel-auto combination says Honda Australia boss, Lindsay Smalley.

In addition, Honda itself is capacity constrained when it comes to diesel engine production. Production of a diesel engine in the UK isn't expected until 2009.

Smalley said he was hopeful extra engine production capacity due to come online in the UK next year would also help Honda Australia's diesel cause.

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