Honda Phl to sell hybrid cars this yr

MANILA, Philippines - Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) will start selling hybrid vehicles in the country with the introduction of the CR-Z sport hybrid coupe this year.

In a statement yesterday, HCPI president and general manager Tatsuya Natsume said the firm decided to introduce the CR-Z this year following inquiries about the sale of the vehicle model after it was displayed at the 4th Philippine International Motor Show held last year.

“Even after that, we are still getting inquiries online, at our dealer showrooms and various display events. This scenario gives us the confidence that the Philippine market will warmly welcome the all new CR-Z when it arrives in August, exactly a year after its concept was shown,” he said.

He declined to say how many units the firm aims to sell per month.

“This is the first time that we will be introducing this model in the Philippines so we have no data to compare it with as of the moment,” Natsume said in an email.

The CR-Z which stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero” was developed to fuse two ideas: sport and ecology.

The vehicle uses a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine as the main source of power with an electric motor, Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) which enables drivers to have a responsive driving experience as well as achieve fuel efficiency.

The CR-Z, which would come in both manual transmission and continuously variable transmission with paddle shifters, would be available in three variants priced between P1.4 million to P2.1 million.

The vehicles are produced at the Suzuka factory in Japan.

Interested customers can make reservations for the CR-Z in any of the 28 authorized Honda dealerships nationwide starting today (April 26).

Actual deliveries would commence by August 2013.

HCPI accounts for the third biggest share in the country’s vehicle sales.

As of end-March, it sold 3,967 units, 7.21 percent higher than in the same period last year.