Honda ahead Toyota at least for one year in a of hybrid cars production

Honda to launch hybrid Civic in India this month
Honda Motor Co. said on Wednesday it would start selling a hybrid version of its Civic sedan in India from the end of this month as it chases Toyota Motor Corp. in the green car race.
Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker after Toyota, said it would be the first gasoline-electric hybrid car sold in the fast-growing India market. They will be imported from Japan and priced at 2.15 million rupees ($50,220), the firm said.
Toyota beat Honda to the hybrid market by two years with its Prius in 1997. The vastly improved second-generation Prius in 2003 became an instant hit, helping Japan’s top automaker win a reputation overnight as the front-runner in green technology.
But Honda is hoping to change that. It aims to sell about 500,000 hybrids a year by 2015 — nine times what it sold last year — rivaling Toyota’s own goal of boosting hybrid sales to a 10th of its total sales after 2010.
Honda said it had sold more than 210,000 units of the Civic hybrid since its launch in 2001

Toyota will add 2 all-new hybrids next year
As $4-per-gallon gasoline drains Americans’ wallets, Toyota Motor Corp. last week promised two new hybrid vehicles.
The two hybrids — one badged a Toyota and the other a Lexus — will debut in January at the Detroit auto show and come in addition to the third-generation Prius, also due in 2009.
Masatami Takimoto, executive vice president in charge of r&d, did not say when the two new vehicles are due in U.S. showrooms. But he said they will both run on nickel-metal hydride batteries, and the Toyota vehicle will be larger than the Prius.
“It’s a totally new car,” Takimoto said here last week at a press event.
For the redesigned Prius, Toyota will stick with the current generation’s nickel-metal hydride batteries.
The company also plans next year to start producing powerful lithium ion batteries, designed to help Toyota keep its lead in hot-selling hybrids.

Top10 Most Fuel Efficient Cars of 2008

The Environmental Protection Agency's new fuel economy sticker can be found on all new vehicles for sale, giving customers a quick way to compare models before making a purchase. The following photos show the most fuel-efficient 2008 model year vehicles, as determined by the EPA.

1. The Toyota Prius Hybrid
2. The Honda Civic Hybrid
3. The Nissan Altima Hybrid
4. The Ford Escape Hybrid
5. The Mazda Tribute Hybrid
6. The Mercury Mariner Hybrid
7. The Toyota Camry Hybrid
8. The Toyota Yaris
9. The Toyota Corolla
10.The Honda Fit

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