Honda Civic GX Natural Gas Car Earns Top Spot on ACEEE's 'Greenest Vehicles of 2008' List for the Fifth Straight Year

Honda claims four of 12 spots on 2008 list

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb 19 -- Recognizing Honda's application of fuel efficient and alternative fuel technologies, four Honda vehicles earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the "greenest vehicles of 2008" with the Civic GX natural gas car taking the title of the greenest vehicle for the fifth consecutive year, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. In the 11th annual ACEEE's "Green Book(R) Online" ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles (available at http://www.greenercars.org/), the natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the gasoline Civic, Fit and Civic Hybrid joining the list of the 12 most environmentally-friendly vehicles available to the public.

This is the eighth year in a row that a Honda vehicle received the number one ranking and the seventh consecutive year that Honda vehicles held at least four positions in the top 12, an impressive one-third of all vehicles on the list.

"The ACEEE awards speak to the commitment Honda has made to lead the industry in lowering emissions, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing dependence on oil," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "Honda continues to set the standard for socially and environmentally-responsible automotive products and our commitment to alternative fuels will further expand with the zero emissions FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle coming to market this summer."

Using a singular measure that incorporates fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts and global warming emissions, all vehicles are analyzed and given a "Green Score." This score is used in ACEEE's ranking system, resulting in a ranking of each vehicle's total environmental performance, including a list of the 12 "greenest" and 12 "meanest" vehicles. The Civic GX, first introduced in 1998, is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle certified by the EPA*, and is 90% cleaner than the average gasoline-powered car on the road today.

Honda has a long history of environmental leadership including the introduction of America's first hybrid, the Honda Insight, delivery of the first fuel cell vehicle in the U.S., and the first vehicles to meet stricter emissions standards, including:

  -- The first gasoline Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV), the 1996 Honda Civic.
  -- The first gasoline Ultra-Low Emissions vehicle (ULEV), the 1998 Honda
     Accord.
  -- The first gasoline Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV), the 2000
     Honda Accord.
  -- The first Advanced Technology Partial-Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV),
     the 2001 Civic GX natural gas vehicle.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection.

*EPA Tier-2, Bin-2 and ILEV certification as of May 2007