Honda Develops Bio-Fabric for Use in Automobile Interiors

Tokyo, Japan, May. 25, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Honda Motor Co., Ltd.,
today announced it has succeeded in developing bio-fabric, a
plant-based fabric with excellent durability and resistance to sunlight,
for use as a surface material in automobile interiors. Bio-fabric offers
the benefit of offsetting CO2 emissions produced during incineration in
the disposal stage with CO2 absorption that occurs during the growth
stage of the plants that are used as raw materials. Despite this
benefit, plant-based fabric has not been used commercially for
automobile interiors due to concerns about limited durability and
aesthetic issues. 

The new bio-fabric developed by Honda overcame such issues, and achieved
a soft and smooth material appropriate for the surface of automobile
interiors, with high durability and excellent resistance to sunlight to
prevent color fading after prolonged use. In addition to seat surfaces,
this bio-fabric can be used for the interior surface of the doors and
roof and for floor mats. Honda will install these bio-fabric interiors
to the company's all-new fuel cell vehicle which will be introduced to
the market within next three years. 

A polyester material called PPT (polypropylene terephthalate) is the
basic material of the bio-fabric. PPT is produced through polymerization
of 1-3PDO (propanediol), which is produced from corn, and terephthalic
acid, a petroleum-based component. In order to improve stability as a
fabric, Honda applied a multi-thread structure for the fiber. In
addition, unprecedented aesthetic properties were achieved by leveraging
the flexibility of this fiber. 

Based on the concept of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), Honda has been
striving to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the entire life cycle of an
automobile - from production and usage to disposal. Due to the use of a
plant-based ingredient in the production of raw materials, the newly
developed bio-fabric will enable Honda to reduce energy used during the
production process by 10 to 15% compared to the production of
petroleum-based polyester materials. The use of a plant-based ingredient
can reduce 5 kilogram CO2 emissions per automobile. Further, the new
bio-fabric does not require changes in existing fabric production
processes, and is suitable for mass production. Honda will first
introduce bio-fabric interiors with the new fuel cell vehicle, then try
to gradually expand the application to new models from 2009 and beyond.


About Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (LSE: HNDA.L) is one of the
leading manufacturers of automobiles and power products and the largest
manufacture of motorcycles in the world. Honda has always sought to
provide genuine satisfaction to people worldwide. The result is more
than 120 manufacturing facilities in 30 countries worldwide, producing a
wide range of products, including motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine
engines, lawn and garden equipment and automobiles that bring the
company into contact with over 19 million customers annually. For more
information, please visit http://world.honda.com.

For further information, please visit the Honda Motor Co., Ltd. home
page at: world.honda.com <http://world.honda.com>