Honda has always had one of the cleanest and most efficient model lineups in the U.S. market and they look set to continue that trend over the next several years. We already knew that the Japanese automaker would be adding three more hybrids to its lineup over the next two years: the five-door hatchback coming next spring will be followed by the CR-Z-based coupe and a hybrid version of the new Fit. Honda has been saying for over a year that they would keep the hybrid powertrains in these smaller cars which are used more often for urban driving. For the bigger models, they have decided diesel is the way to go. The first diesel model will show up next year in the Acura lineup, most likely starting with the TSX. According to Automotive News, diesels will then spread to the Honda side of the house starting with the Accord and CR-V. Both will likely get the same 2.2L four cylinder diesel that's going into the TSX. The next generation of the Odyssey minivan, which is due in 2010, may be the first Honda vehicle to get the 3.0L diesel V6 that the company is developing. That same engine will probably eventually end up in several other models - possibly the Pilot and Ridgeline - as well as in Acura vehicles like the MDX.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

In Subaru's probably several-year-old video above (I'm basing the age on changes in car availability, fuel and mileage), the Subaru Legacy is compared to its "very direct competitors" the Toyota Camry hybrid and Honda Accord hybrid when it comes to the price of the car, fuel use costs and time of payback for the price hybrid price premium. Subaru presents the price and mileage as showing a "pretty big advantage to the Camry and Accord. Right? But wait, lets look at what these numbers really mean." After some number crunching, we find it will take 10.8 years ("that's a long time") and 32.4 years ("that's certainly no bargain") to make up for the "cost penalty" of buying these hybrids and not the Subaru Legacy.

The video also points out hybrids can go "at very low speeds" on electric power alone but "it is no easy task to coordinate the efforts of the electric motor and the gasoline engine." Batteries, the video notes, are "heavy and expensive" and hybrids require "complex systems" to shut off at stop lights. Subaru says they "are not trying to make light of the fuel economy achievements of the these hybrids vehicles. But we are also not convinced that they are worth the price premium as these numbers illustrate."

Has this video convinced you the Subaru Legacy is better than the Toyota Camry hybrid and Honda Accord hybrid? How will today's arguments for and against hybrids look in five years?

Related:

• Diesel Subies to beat hybrids to market
• Geneva Motor Show: Subaru will bring Justy back, is considering all-electric small car
• Subaru announces diesel engine for 2008
• Subaru aims for diesel cars by end of 2007
• Subaru sells 100,000 PZEVs and sends nothing to the dump for three years

[Source: YouTube]

As a major supplier of diesel engine components, Bosch has a vested interest in promoting diesel adoption in the US market. As part of their campaign, the German supplier has a fleet of European diesel models that they use for promotional purposes at events around the US. Earlier this year we sampled a Chrysler 300 CRD and Smart ForTwo CDi from that fleet and we'll be taking a longer look at another vehicle very soon.

In the meantime you can get a hint of what we might expect come 2009 when the Honda Accord gets a new diesel option. The current European Accord, which is sold here as the Acura TSX, has a 2.2L diesel and DieselForecast had a chance to sample it. The U.S. Accord is expected to get an engine of the same displacement but with an emissions system that meets Tier2 Bin5 requirements. You can check it out now.

[Source: DieselForecast]

The 2009 Honda Accord diesel looks set to make up for the mileage shortcomings of the soon to be deceased hybrid model in a big way. The new diesel is apparently derived from the 2.2L diesel that is currently available in European market Accords, one of which was shown recently with with a new emission control system at a diesel conference in California. That car is apparently capable of 52mpg which, if replicated by the production version, will put it well ahead of anything else in its class. The best part is drivers will never have to add any urea like they do with the BlueTec diesels from Mercedes and VW.

[Source: AutoCar]

Honda has been making headlines on sites such as ours as of late with the greening of their automotive fleet. Remember, Honda is not exactly a newcomer to the world of green vehicles, their Insight brought them into the hybrid game right from the start. Not only that, the combined fuel economy of their fleet of vehicles is the best in America. They offer hybrid versions of their Civic and Accord, and have been working on their hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for years. They also have CNG versions of the Civic. So, it should come as no surprise that they have won the award as the "Greenest Automaker" for the fourth consecutive year from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Want to know more? Check out this article from The Auto Channel. Don't forget to watch the included video.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

In the year 2000, as the IT world scrambled to fix computer problems and people bid farewell to the '90s, Ford and GM Holden - with their Falcon and Commodore, respectively - stood supreme as the dominant forces of the dominant large car market in Australia. Just seven years on and that market has shrunk from 35.9 percent to just 13.5 percent in the light of rising fuel prices which has seen a massive movement away from large family cars to medium-sized cars. The Falcon and Commodore are now fighting each other over a diminishing market while simultaneously trying to hold off the other locally produced six cylinder competition in the form of the Mitsubishi 380 and the Toyota Aurion.

Such has been the slide in demand for big cars that Holden just announced that 600 jobs will be axed at their Adelaide plant.

The market movement towards smaller cars has led both Ford and Holden to announce new entrants into the already cut-throat medium sized car market which is currently dominated by Asian vehicles like the class-leading Toyota Camry along with the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and Hyundai Sonata. Holden is about to release the Daewoo made Epica and Ford is bringing the Mondeo back later this year.

Analysis: The Mondeo and the Epica both look to be good quality cars at a good price but they're in for a real fight to gain traction in the medium-sized car market because it is already dominated by good quality cars at a good price. Fuel prices have clearly had a massive impact on the car market in Australia as fuel economy becomes a critical factor in the buying decisions of many consumers.

Related:

• 2007 BMW X5 to launch in Australia with 3.0-litre diesel option
• Higher gas prices not hurting big RV sales, but some owners are driving less
• New Canadian budget includes fuel economy carrots and sticks

[Source: CARSguide.com.au]

Walter McManus over at Hybrid Cars published a little mea culpa about his recent estimates of the real-world cost of owning and operating a hybrid vehicle. His estimates of the costs from a few weeks ago showed, like the recent Consumer Reports numbers, that most ended up being cost disadvantages for consumers. This means that they cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more than similar non-hybrid vehicles, even when you figured in reduced gas consumption. The hybrids tested were the Escape, Accord, Lexus RX400h, Highlander, Civic and Prius.

Well, McManus decided to recalculate his numbers using hedonic estimates instead of P. Value, which he used the first time. The results? Five of the six hybrids tested now had cost advantages, some over $9,000. The lone hybrid that still has a disadvantage was the Accord Hybrid, which is the car McManus drives.

[Source: HybridCars.com]