How Honda Could Have Made the Accord Hybrid Right


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Honda could have made the Accord Hybrid a phenomenal car. The base LX with automatic transmission is already a great car. With a four cylinder engine, it's got plenty of power. By adding a hybrid design to that, the Accord would get the big improvement in fuel efficiency and greatly reduced emissions that we've come to expect from hybrids. But it would be a car that would really be more affordable to the average person.

The two door version of the Accord is one of the few cars to get 5 stars on front driver, front passenger, side front passenger and side rear passenger crash tests in the government's test. But people who want a hybrid and deserve five star safety ratings shouldn't be forced to pay $30,000. Some important factors that drive up the price and could be marketing mistakes are:

1. Forcing people to buy leather trim is a very poor choice, particularly when you want favorable perception from environmentalists.

2. Choosing the V6 engine drives up the price and brings fuel economy down to where the current Accord Hybrid does not really have very impressive fuel economy.

3. Some features that you must get on the hybrid drive up the price about (for instance, XM® Satellite Radio is about a $600 item).

Here's a hypothetical rundown (based on pricing from Honda's website 3/9/05):

some of the features on the LX:

160-hp, 4-Cylinder Engine
5-Speed Automatic Transmission
Dual-Stage, Dual Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side Curtain Airbags
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Air Conditioning
Power Windows
Power Door Locks
AM/FM/CD Audio System with 2 Speakers
cloth seats (NOT LEATHER)

as equipped above: $20,575.00

now add a premium for hybrid components $3,000.00

hypothetical "done right" price: $23,575.00

Now this really would be an environmentalist's dream!

some of the features on the Accord Hybrid:

255-hp V6 engine with hybrid system
Compact 5-Speed Automatic Transmission
Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side Curtain Airbags
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
Air Conditioning
Power Windows
Power Door Locks

the Hybrid has tons of extra features, many of which are available as options on the Accord LX. Here's some of the thing's you are forced to take on the Hybrid, whether you wanted them or not.

Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel (UNDESIRABLE)
HomeLink® Remote System
Leather-Trimmed Seats and Door-Panel Inserts (UNDESIRABLE)
XM® Satellite Radio

$30,140.00

image: Honda

Remember these? This is a 1976 Honda Accord. They were revolutionary cars. They provided great fuel economy for the masses, in a car that was fun to drive. They were practical, with that big hatch that could hold so much, yet the car could still seat four people. A marvel of engineering compared to most huge cars of that era. They sold for $3,995.

But who ever thought a Honda would be $30,000? In these times when so many people are having a hard time making ends meet, that really doesn't seem to be what we've come to think of Honda as being about.

image: Honda

This is the 1989 Accord. With automatic transmission, it was EPA rated 24 MPG in the city. After 16 years, the 2005 Accord Hybrid's 29 EPA City rating doesn't seem all that remarkable. If the hybrid version had been based on the four cylinder engine, it really might have shone.