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Honda will equip the V6 version of its new Accord with breakthrough fuel-saving technology that allows the engine to run on three, four or six cylinders.
The sedan will be launched here early next year and followed later by the new small Jazz hatchback. Both cars are among the next generation of environmentally friendlier Honda vehicles, which includes the hydrogen fuel-cell FCX sedan and petrol-electric CR-Z Concept sports car.
Honda CEO Takeo Fukui confirmed at the Tokyo motor show this week that the FCX would soon go into production for sale in Japan and the United States next year. The first production model will be unveiled at next month's Los Angles motor show.
Honda says the energy efficiency of the FCX is around 60 per cent, about three times that of a petrol-engine vehicle and twice that of a hybrid.
Fukui also disclosed that a car based on its CR-Z Concept, a compact, lightweight coupe powered by a hybrid powertrain, would also go into production to join Honda's forthcoming global hybrid family car, due in 2009.
The CR-Z Concept follows in the tyre prints of what Honda called the Small Hybrid Sports Concept it unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March, a project exploring the potential of a dynamic sportscar that has minimal impact on the environment.
The 3-litre V6 engine in the 2008 Accord features what Honda says is the latest version of Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology. Other carmakers, notably Chrysler in this part of the world, use similar technology with V8 engines.
Honda says its system can activate and deactivate cylinders to meet the demands of acceleration and fuel savings. When maximum power is required, all six cylinders are firing. During steady cruising speeds, VCM shuts down one bank of cylinders.
In this mode, says Honda, the audio system's Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) function generates out-of-phase sound waves to cancel out any undesirable noise that may be due to the harmonics of three-cylinder operation.
As speed increases, the engine moves to a four-cylinder mode for more cruising power. To help keep engine vibration from reaching the cabin in every mode, active engine mounts automatically adjust their firmness to help absorb energy.
The transition between the three operating modes is completely seamless and goes unnoticed by the Accord's passengers, says Honda. A green "ECON" light on the dash is the only clue that the car is equipped with VCM.
The first sign that Honda would introduce VCM in the Accord was when it announced last year it would no longer build hybrid variants of the sedan.
The bigger petrol-electric models were not selling and VCM was more cost-efficient.
The second-generation Jazz comes with improved packaging; a standout interior feature of the current model.
The design is still based on Honda's innovative centre tank layout but the new model's longer wheelbase and wider track improve practicality even further. The front windscreen pillars have also been moved forward to create more room for driver and passenger.
The Jazz will land here later next year offering 1.3- and 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines. Honda says tests of the 1.3-litre unit with its continuously variable transmission have returned town and around fuel consumption of just over 4 litres/100km, or around 60mpg.
