The Japanese car manufacturer Honda announced it will launch a plug-in hybrid car and one with full electric propulsion. These two models will be released in 2012, as part of the strategy to push themselves to the front of a race by global automakers to produce more energy-efficient vehicles.
Furthermore, in 2012, the car maker will launch a small class model in Europe, powered by a diesel engine. The company also showed the initiative to build a motorcycle factory in Indonesia by 2011 and to develop a product to compete in China’s massive electric bicycle market, estimated to more than 20 million units a year.
During the past decade, Honda has been one of the few automakers that sold gasoline-electric cars. In 2008, the company decided to give up development of diesel engines for “big cars”, preferring to build new and more powerful hybrid systems. Several automakers including Volkswagen and Hyundai are preparing to sell hybrid cars considered more efficient than Honda’s.
