• Report: “Of the makes with higher production, for the 11 manufacturers shown, Honda had the highest adjusted fuel economy at 27.2 mpg.”
• American Honda had the lowest fleet-average CO₂ emissions among major full-line automakers for model year 2012
• Exceeded the industry average of 23.6 mpg for all vehicles, by 12.7%.

American Honda had the highest fleet-average fuel economy, largest year-over-year fuel economy increase and lowest CO₂ emissions of any full-line automaker in the U.S. for model year 2012 (MY2012), according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its just-released fuel-economy trends report, “Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2013.”

Among major automakers selling cars, trucks and luxury vehicles in the U.S., American Honda — including both the Honda and Acura automobile brands — achieved the highest fleet-average fuel economy of 26.6 miles per gallon¹ for MY2012, representing a 9.7 percent, or 2.5 mpg, increase over MY2011 results.

Additional highlights of the EPA report:

• According to the report: “Of the makes with higher production, for the 11 manufacturers shown, Honda had the highest adjusted fuel economy at 27.2 mpg.” [page 39 of report]
• At 27.2 mpg, the Honda brand outperformed Mazda by a tenth of an mpg, despite selling larger vehicles such as the Pilot SUV, Odyssey minivan and Ridgeline pickup.
• With MY2012 fleet fuel economy of 26.6 mpg American Honda exceeded the industry average of 23.6 mpg for all vehicles, by 12.7%. This was exceeded by only one major automaker, Mazda, which does not sell larger light trucks or luxury-brand vehicles.
• American Honda had the lowest fleet-average CO₂ emissions among major full-line automakers for model year 2012, at 334 grams/mile, and second lowest among all automakers, exceeded only by Mazda, and the Honda brand with its larger vehicles performed better than the Mazda brand (327 vs. 328 CO₂grams/mile)

Moreover, while achieving top-level fuel economy performance, American Honda also is leading in the area of automobile safety with seven models that achieve a TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – the 2013 Accord Sedan and Accord Coupe, the 2013 Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, the 2014 Odyssey minivan, and the 2013 Acura TL performance-luxury sedan, the most of any automaker.

Last month, the 2014 Accord was chosen as the 2013 “Green Car of the Year” by the editor’s of Green Car Journal. At 50 mpg², the 2014 Accord Hybrid has the highest EPA city fuel-economy rating of any five-passenger sedan sold in America.

The ninth-generation Accord was the first Honda vehicle to use advanced new engines and transmissions from Honda’s innovative Earth Dreams Technology powertrain lineup, which deliver both outstanding performance and fuel efficiency at a very high level. Honda will expand the use of Earth Dreams Technology powertrains to additional models in the future, including an all-new Fit small car slated for launch next spring.

Executive Quote
“At Honda, we’re proving that safety and fuel economy need not necessarily be at cross purposes” said Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President, American Honda Motor, Co. “We’re taking unprecedented steps to ensure that our products literally lead the industry in both. Our IIHS test results and EPA numbers speak for us on this matter.”

Honda Environmental Leadership
Honda is a leader in the development of leading-edge technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions. Honda has led the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) rankings of overall vehicle environmental performance since 2000, and a Honda vehicle has topped the list of America’s greenest vehicles from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for eleven out of the past twelve years. The company leads all automakers with twelve LEED-Certified “Green Buildings” in North America, and is producing products in North America with virtually zero-waste to landfill. In 2006, Honda became the first automaker to announce voluntary CO₂ emissions reduction targets for its global fleet of automobile, power sports and power equipment products and its global network of manufacturing plants. In 2011, the company set a new CO₂ emissions reduction targets for 2020, including a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions from its products compared with 2000 levels

Honda will take the wraps off the all-new 2015 Fit at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13, at 2:40 pm. Honda will showcase significant advancements designed to further extend Fit’s status as the benchmark vehicle in the subcompact-car class.

The 2015 Fit builds on the current model’s innovative packaging, flexible cargo capability and fun-to-drive character with spirited new styling, an even more spacious and refined interior packed with leading-edge connected car technologies. The third generation Fit is set to offer enhanced fuel-efficiency and performance courtesy of its all-new platform and Earth Dreams Technology powertrain. Equipped with the Honda-exclusive next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, the new Fit is also anticipated to earn class-leading safety ratings.

John Mendel, executive vice president of automobile sales for American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will introduce the 2015 Fit at the company’s press conference, which also will be broadcast live via webcast athttp://hondanews.com/live/2014naias-honda (link will be live Jan. 13).

Named a Car and Driver ’10-Best’ vehicle every model year since its introduction to the U.S. market for 2007, the Fit remains one of the best-selling Honda vehicles globally, with cumulative worldwide sales of 4.87 million units¹. The Fit is manufactured at ten locations around the world and sold in 123 countries. The new U.S.-market Fit will be produced for the first time in North America at an all-new plant in in Celaya, Mexico.

The all-new 2014 Acura MDX and 2014 RLX, have earned the highest-available collision safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), while the 2014 TL performance luxury sedan achieved a TOP SAFETY PICK rating.

These accomplishments come on top of the 2014 MDX and 2014 RDX having recently received a top 5–Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In addition, each received 5-Stars on each of the frontal and side impact crash tests, and each scored 4-Stars for rollover resistance in the NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

Significantly, both the MDX and RLX achieved the TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating while also improving fuel efficiency to class-leading levels.  While employing Acura’s next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, the RLX and MDX reduce the overall mass of each vehicle by 275 pounds.

“Through the ingenuity and commitment of our engineers, we are demonstrating that safety performance and fuel efficiency don’t have to be competing values,” said Jim Keller, vice president of Honda R&D Americas, and the chief engineer who led the development of MDX.  “We are very proud of the performance of MDX in all of the consumer collision safety rating tests.”

Acura products have class-leading levels of collision performance, as reflected in the top-level safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA. To achieve an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK rating, vehicles must receive GOOD ratings in Moderate Overlap Fontal, Side, Rollover and Rear tests and GOOD or ACCEPTABLE in the Small Overlap Front test.   TOP SAFETY PICK+ vehicles must achieve these same results along with providing forward collision warning and/or braking systems.

Acura MDX and RLX offer a rich array of safety and driver-assistive technologies, including the next generation ACE™ body structure, and the available Collision Mitigation Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Information, Lane Departure Warning, and Lane Keeping Assist systems.

Key safety and drivers assistive technologies and features of the 2014 Acura MDX and 2014 RLX include:

• Available Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Available Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
• Available Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
• Next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure
• Available Blind Spot Information (BSI)
• Available Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
• Available Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow
• Pre-tensioning driver and front passenger seatbelts
• Driver’s knee airbag
• Multi-View Rear Camera