EVLN(51MPG Civic Hybrid $20k, US SUV issues ignored)-LONG

[Bruce EVangel Parmenter <brucedp@yahoo.com>]

EVLN(51MPG Civic Hybrid $20k, US SUV issues ignored)-LONG
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
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 --- {EVangel}
Honda Civic Hybrid Earns 51 MPG EPA Highway Rating;
Five-Speed Model Priced at $19,550
TORRANCE, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The all-new 2003
Honda Civic Hybrid, the first mainstream vehicle sold in
North America equipped with a gasoline-electric hybrid
powertrain, has earned EPA city/highway fuel economy ratings
of 46/51 mpg with a 5-speed manual transmission.  It will
have a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of
$19,550, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced today.

Civic Hybrid models will begin reaching dealerships the week
of March 25. The Civic Hybrid will also be available with a
continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), with a
MSRP of $20,550.  The Hybrid CVT has earned EPA City/Highway
ratings of 48/47 mpg.  Both models will have a range of more
than 600 miles.  The Civic Hybrid will be available at all
Honda dealerships nationwide and sales are expected to
average about 2,000 vehicles a month.

"The Civic is one of the cornerstones of the Honda brand and
adding a hybrid to the Civic lineup is an example of the
faith and confidence we have in the future of hybrid
technology," said Tom Elliott, American Honda executive vice
president.  "Hybrid technology is ready for prime time."

The 2003 Civic Hybrid uses Honda's innovative Integrated
Motor Assist (IMA) technology, employing a 1.3-liter i-DSI,
4-cylinder gasoline engine coupled with a high output
electric motor to provide excellent performance and fuel
efficiency.  The system's compact nickel metal hydride
battery module is automatically recharged during braking and
deceleration.  As a result, the Civic Hybrid never needs to
be plugged in.

The hybrid system provides up to 93 horsepower and 116 lb-ft
of torque with the electric motor "assist."  Fuel economy is
improved by up to 30 percent compared to other Civic sedans.
All this is achieved by the hybrid powertrain while still
meeting the stringent Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV)
standards.

The Civic Hybrid comes equipped with a long list of standard
features including power windows, door locks and mirrors;
cruise control; Immobilizer anti-theft device; dual stage,
dual-threshold driver and front passenger air bags; and a
tilt steering wheel.

Standard features unique to the 2003 Civic Hybrid include:

-- Second generation Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid
   system
-- 1.3-liter i-DSI 4-cylinder engine with two spark plugs
   per cylinder
-- Four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake
   Distribution
-- Standard side air bags
-- Alloy wheels
-- AM/FM/CD player
-- Automatic climate control air conditioning
-- Electric Power Steering (EPS)
-- Unique front and rear aerodynamic styling
-- Digital and analog instrument gauge cluster with IMA
   system display, daytime and nighttime mode, and vehicle
   system performance meters
-- Upgraded interior with open head front restraints

The Civic Hybrid will be Honda's second hybrid model,
following the introduction in 1999 of the two-passenger
Insight, the first hybrid sold in America and currently the
most fuel-efficient vehicle in the United States.

For more media information and high-resolution image
downloads, please visit www.hondanews.com . Consumer
information regarding American Honda is available at
www.honda.com .

SOURCE  American Honda Motor Co.  CO:  American Honda Motor
Co.  ST:  California IN:  AUT ENV SU: 03/20/2002 12:29 EST
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 http://www.prnewswire.com/  nina_drucker@prnewswire.com
(c)PR Newswire. All rights reserved.  Fax# 415-543-3555,
Tel# 415-543-7800, 71 Stevenson, Suite 1120, SF, CA 94105 USA

===

Senate Rejects Auto Fuel Standards By H. JOSEF HEBERT .c The
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate has rejected a plan that would
have required the auto industry to spend millions to produce
cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles that run 50 percent
farther on a gallon of gas.

The industry and its unions lobbied hard against requiring a
36-mile-per-gallon average by 2015. Supporters of the higher
standard said it would have saved millions of barrels of oil
and could have been reached through current and emerging
technologies.

Instead, the Senate told the Transportation Department with
a 62-38 vote Wednesday to develop new fuel economy rules
over the next two years but did not require specific mileage
increases.

Separately, senators voted 56-44 to exempt pickup trucks
from future mileage increases.

Sen. John Kerry, the 36 mpg proposal's sponsor, said the
proposal that replaced his in a broad energy bill was ``an
artful dodge, a great escape'' from doing anything about
fuel economy. ``We are going backward,'' said Kerry,
D-Mass.

Federal fuel economy rules have not changed in 15 years,
noted Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., who said
the vote was ``a missed opportunity ... to pass meaningful''
standards.

The House already has turned down significant increases in
auto fuel economy.

Automakers now are required to meet a fleet average of 27.5
mpg for sedans and 20.7 mpg for SUVs, minivans and pickups.
Kerry's proposal would have combined the two categories.

The average for all vehicles was 24 mpg in 2000, about what
it was 22 years ago.

Conservationists say motor vehicles account for 40 percent
of the oil used across the country, and higher mileage
levels would help reduce U.S. reliance on oil imports as
well as deal with environmental problems such as climate
change.

The Senate debate, however, focused on the potential fallout
from the proposed mileage increase: job losses in the auto
industry and the production of smaller cars, which opponents
of the standards said could lead to more traffic fatalities
while depriving Americans of lower-mileage but roomier
minivans and SUVs.

Minority Leader Trent Lott displayed a picture of a
two-seater, bubble-like subcompact - a Daimler-Chrysler that
gets 70 mpg and is sold only in Europe. ``I don't want every
American to have to drive this car,'' said Lott, R-Miss.

Kerry accused opponents of his proposal of ``extraordinary,
ridiculous scare tactics'' prompted by the auto industry.

``No American will be forced to drive a different vehicle.
The technology is available today to meet the higher
standard,'' Kerry said. He cited a National Academy of
Sciences study last year that concluded significant fuel
efficiency improvements were possible without making cars
smaller and lighter.

But Sen. Carl Levin, a co-sponsor of the alternative that
passed, rejected claims that his approach would not improve
fuel economy.

It would require federal regulators to issue new mileage
rules within two years, but ``in a way that does not harm
the domestic manufacturing industry,'' said Levin, D-Mich.

Sen. Christopher Bond, also a co-sponsor, acknowledged
``it's going to be several years'' before regulators could
develop new computer models to make changes in the current
standard if the proposal became law.

Any changes ``in the short term are going to have to be very
modest,'' said Bond, R-Mo.

Until recently, Congress has barred regulators from even
studying fuel economy increases.

Both sides referred to the academy's report. It said mileage
improvements - as much as 42 percent for SUVs and minivans -
were feasible using current and emerging technologies, but
that more people could die in accidents if automakers,
forced to act too quickly, made smaller and lighter
vehicles.

Kerry maintained the 13-year lead time in his legislation
was enough for automakers to meet the new standard. He cited
plans by the Ford Motor Co. to have an electric-gas hybrid
SUV on the market that gets 40 mpg by 2004.

His allies argued that it is impossible to address the
broader issue of energy conservation without reducing
gasoline use by passenger vehicles. They account for about 8
million barrels of the United States' daily consumption of
19 million barrels of gasoline.

``America will only grow more and more dependent on foreign
oil'' without the higher standards, Sen. Susan Collins,
R-Maine. She was one of only six GOP lawmakers who favored
the tougher requirements. Nineteen Democrats and 43
Republicans favored the Levin proposal.AP-NY-03-14-02 0744EST
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Fax:415-552-9430 1390 Market, Suite 318 Fox Plaza, SF, CA 94012 USA

===

Environmentalists Lose on Energy Bill By H. JOSEF HEBERT .c
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate was where environmentalists
hoped to make their stand on energy policy. But after two
weeks of votes and horse-trading, an emerging Democratic
energy bill appears to be anything but green.

Environmentalists lost in their bid to boost automobile fuel
economy and on a string of lesser issues - from provisions
helping the nuclear industry to one that would allow small
trees in national forests to be processed as biomass for
electricity generation.

However, the big fight over oil drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is yet to come, and
environmentalists are likely to prevail on it. The Senate
will take that up when lawmakers return after a two-week
Easter recess and try to wrap up the bill.

Whatever the Senate finally approves will have to be merged
with an energy bill from the Republican-run House that is
far friendlier to industry and anathema to
environmentalists. It focuses heavily on increasing
development of fossil fuels and would open to oil companies
the Arctic refuge - a place environmentalists have vowed to
protect.

``The environmentalists are very unhappy to the point of
despairing,'' said David Nemtzow, president of the
Alliance to Save Energy, an advocacy group for the
promotion of energy efficiency and conservation. ``They
see House and Senate bills with nothing on fuel economy
... nothing to save oil to speak of.''

Anna Aurilio, legislative director of the U.S. Public
Interest Research Group, said the Senate legislation
``started as a promising bill. But it's getting hijacked ...
by the polluters.''

On issues large and small, some of the most powerful
business interest groups roaming the halls of Congress -
automakers, the oil industry, electric utilities and farm
groups - have scored significant victories, often turning
back initiatives pushed by environmentalists.

Farmers won a government mandate for tripling ethanol
production. Large utilities headed off attempts at new
federal regulation of power grids and won a scaled-back
renewable-fuels requirement. The nuclear industry is getting
government help to develop its next generation of power
plants and continued limits on accident liability.

And the oil industry no longer has to contend with a federal
requirement for oxygen in gasoline, or whether an
oil-exploration method known as ``hydraulic fracturing''
might run afoul of clean-water laws.

All of those victories pale next to the coup by the auto
industry, which now has the certainty it will not face
tougher federal auto fuel economy requirements anytime
soon.

Ignoring pleas from environmentalists, the Senate rejected a
proposal to boost the federal fleet requirement to 35 miles
per gallon, an increase of 50 percent, and barred any
increase in fuel economy requirements for pickup trucks,
one-fifth of the vehicles sold.

They ``handed our nation's energy security over to the auto
industry,'' fumed Carl Pope, executive director of the
Sierra Club. Automakers and auto unions lobbied vigorously
against the fuel economy increases and supported a measure
that instead would require the Transportation Department to
address the issue down the road.

When the House passed its energy bill, environmental leaders
denounced it as a sop to industry with too much emphasis on
traditional energy sources - oil, natural gas, coal and
nuclear - and far too little on promoting efficiency or
renewables like solar and wind power.

``We thought the Senate was a tremendous opportunity to
focus more on demand, look more closely at conservation
and efficiency ... instead of (industry) subsidies,'' said
Sierra Club lobbyist Melinda Pierce. ``In all counts we
have failed to make gains; in fact, we have gone
backwards.''

Among the other setbacks cited by environmentalists is what
they view as the erosion of a once-ambitious attempt to make
utilities generate more electricity from renewable fuels
such as solar, wind and biomass from wood and agricultural
scraps.

A proposal by Sen. James Jeffords, a Vermont independent, to
require that 20 percent of the nation's electricity come
from these energy sources was rejected outright. To broaden
support, Democrats pushed for a 10 percent renewable-fuels
requirement but exempted municipal and federally owned
utilities and electric cooperatives.

The result, environmentalists maintain, is that only about 5
percent of the nation's electricity is likely to come from
these renewable sources by 2020.

Environmentalists also were surprised by the Senate's vote
to add a provision to treat some salvage timber in federal
forests, including trees as large as 12 inches in diameter,
as a biomass energy source.

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said it would help thin the
forests of diseased and scrap wood and keep some Western
biomass plants in business. U.S. PIRG's Aurilio countered
that it amounts to ``cutting down our national forests in
the name of renewable energy.''
The bill is S.517.
On the Net: Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov AP-NY-03-25-02
0323EST Copyright 2002 The Associated Press.
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Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. Tel# 415-621-7432 
Fax:415-552-9430 1390 Market, Suite 318 Fox Plaza, SF, CA 94012 USA

===

Larger Vehicles Drive New Car Sales Despite Increasing Gas
Prices, AAA Says

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2002--With the
economy beginning to show signs of recovery in many parts of
the country, AAA is projecting that Americans will continue
to buy SUVs, trucks and minivans despite increasing gas
prices nationwide.

Whether domestic or imported, these larger vehicles will
continue to be best-sellers, according to AAA. More than
half of the vehicles sold by General Motors last year were
in this category, and they accounted for more than
two-thirds of Ford's and Chrysler's sales as well. AAA says
there is no indication that will change in the upcoming
year.

"Since automakers derive huge profits from sales of larger
vehicles, such as SUVs and minivans, expect some very
aggressive selling strategies for them, including rebates
and cut-rate financing," said Dave Van Sickle, AAA's
director of automotive and consumer information, and editor
of AAA Auto Guide: 2002 New Cars and Trucks, an annual
review of more than 200 vehicles.

"New vehicle sales could reach last year's volume of 17.1
million units," Van Sickle added. "Many thought strong
incentives in the fourth quarter of 2001 would steal sales
from 2002, but that hasn't been the case."

Unfortunately, not all automakers will share alike in auto
industry prosperity.

"Don't expect import dealers to drastically cut prices,"
said Van Sickle. "Hot-selling imports like the Honda Accord
and Toyota Camry will see little discounting, while
mainstream cars from the big three automakers will continue
to be the most competitively priced."

New, trendy products like the Ford Thunderbird, Lexus SC
430, or Mercedes SL500 will be in short supply and will
command premium prices, AAA says. More mature products like
the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala or Dodge Intrepid aren't
generating as much excitement in the marketplace, so dealers
will have to move them aggressively. Premium imported sedans
are popular in spite of their premium prices.

"Cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Volvo remain
highly desirable," Van Sickle warned, "so expect firm prices
in the showrooms."

Safety is more important than ever to buyers, according to
AAA, making vehicles with good crash ratings and a full line
of safety features popular with families. AAA Auto Guide:
2002 New Cars and Trucks details each vehicle's safety
features and includes NHTSA crash test ratings for each
vehicle reviewed.

Buyers shopping for safety should look for 2002 models with
a good selection of important features such as lap and
shoulder belts in all seating positions, antilock brakes,
stability control, integrated child safety seats and side
airbags, says AAA.

Eventually, consumers can expect to see the migration of
technology from high-end cars down to mainstream vehicles,
according to Van Sickle.

"Stability control and smarter navigation systems are
already broadly available," Van Sickle said. "Continuously
variable transmissions that offer shiftless automatic
operation and improved fuel economy are available on Audis,
Hondas, and even new Saturns.

"Hybrid powertrains - engines that combine the best features
of both gas-powered and electric motors - are currently
available from Honda and Toyota. Expect to see more of this
environmentally friendly technology from the big three in a
year or so," Van Sickle said.

AAA Auto Guides: 2002 New Cars and Trucks features ratings
on vehicles ranging from sports cars to minivans, with every
one test-driven and evaluated by AAA's team of expert
reviewers. The book is available at AAA offices, online at
www.aaa.com and through most retail bookstores.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel
organization, AAA provides its members with travel,
insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since
its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying
AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and
security of all travelers.

AAA news releases are available from
http://www.aaa.com/news

CONTACT: AAA Mantill Williams, 202/942-2082 or Janie
Graziani, 407/444-8000 KEYWORD: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BW2364 
MAR 26,2002 7:39 PACIFIC 10:39  EASTERN
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 ---




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