Honda Accord Hybrid

While this new vehicle shares the same displacement as the regular seventh generation Accord V6 power plant, the engine in the Hybrid is derived from the 2005 Honda Odyssey minivan and can shut off 3 of the 6 cylinders under certain conditions for better fuel economy (a technology that Honda calls Variable Cylinder Management (VCM)). The new engine features iVTEC technology and drives a new compact transmission.

Honda puts the emphasis on performance and targets high-end buyers. Unlike traditional hybrid designs, the new Accord hybrid uses a more powerful engine than its non-hybrid counterpart. Together with the Integrated Motor Assist, the hybrid version is a much higher performance car than the regular Accord.

The 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid is also 4 inches (102 mm) longer than it's 2005 counterpart. The 2005 Accord Hybrid Sedan came in four colors: Graphite Pearl, Desert Mist Metallic, Silver Frost Metallic, and Taffeta White. For the 2006 model which came standard with Vehicle Stability Assist, and like the conventional US-spec version, received a minor exterior facelift. Accord Hybrids from model year 2006 and up can be identified by the amber rear turn signals whereas their fully gasoline counterparts have red rear turn signals.

According to Consumer Reports, the Honda Accord Hybrid only averages 1 MPG better than it's counterpart in fuel economy tests.

Honda has announced that there will be no hybrid version when the next generation is launched in 2008; instead, there will be a diesel model. Another replacement for the Accord Hybrid is the mid-size Honda FCX Clarity, with the production model to debut at the 2007-08 Los Angeles Auto Show. Both the FCX Clarity and Accord Diesel will debut as 2009 models. 25,000 were sold since 2004, and 6,100 of the 2007 model. The Accord Hybrid won the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Alternative Power award for 2005.