Four Honda vehicles earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as among the "greenest vehicles of 2010" with the Civic GX natural gas car earning the title of America's greenest vehicle for the seventh year, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. In the annual ACEEE's "Green Book® Online" ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles (available at www.greenercars.org), the near-zero emissions natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the Civic Hybrid, Insight and Fit joining the list on the ACEEE's 12 most environmentally responsible vehicles available to the public.
This is the tenth year in a row that a Honda vehicle received the number one ranking and the 12th consecutive year that multiple Honda vehicles held positions in the top 12. This year's list also marks the first appearance of the next-generation Insight in its first year on the market.
"Honda's rankings in the ACEEE study are emblematic of our commitment to lowering emissions and increasing fuel efficiency in all of our models," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "Honda continues to set the standard for socially and environmentally responsible vehicles with products like the Insight and Civic GX."
The ACEEE's ranking system uses a singular measure that incorporates fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts, and global warming emissions. All vehicles are analyzed and given a "Green Score" which is used to rank a vehicle's total environmental performance, including a list of the 12 "greenest" and 12 "meanest" vehicles. The Civic GX, first introduced in 1998 and currently built at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana*, is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle certified by the U.S. EPA**.
Honda has a long history of environmental innovation, including the introduction of America's first retail hybrid, the Honda Insight (1999), delivery of the first fuel cell vehicle in the U.S., the FCX (2002) and the first gasoline-powered vehicles in the hands of consumers 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 vehicle to qualify 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.
*Using domestically and globally sourced parts
**EPA Tier-2, Bin-2 and ILEV certification as of January 2010
