Honda Drives Down Petrol Electric Car Costs
Published: 22nd February 2003
Honda has received early indications from CAP Monitor that they see the value of this new technology creating a premium over the already strong performing 5dr model on the used car market. This confidence will be shown in their March publication but they expected it to reflect approximately 1.5% uplift.
Independent data for Service Maintenance and Repair (SMR) costs indicate highly competitive figures equal to or less than other C-sector models.
Of course the raison d’etre of the IMA system is its improved efficiency / reduced CO2 emissions compared with an ordinary petrol engine. This has recently been confirmed with official government fuel figures showing a benefit of almost 30% over a conventional 1.4 litre petrol-engine Civic, itself one of the most efficient cars in the compact car class (C-sector).
According to the recently released government figures, the Civic IMA achieves an Urban fuel consumption of 47.1 mpg, an Extra Urban figure of 65.7 mpg and a combined figure of 57.6 mpg. Using the latter figure, a motorist travelling 20,000 miles per annum would save over 100 gallons a petrol each year, at a current price of around £400, using a Civic IMA instead of an ordinary 1.4 litre petrol model. (Viewed from an environmental perspective, this equates to a saving of more than 1 tonne of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere, each year.)
Low fuel and maintenance costs will be matched by affordable insurance. The ABI has recently recommended a Group 9 rating for the Civic IMA, actually a couple of groups lower than the Civic Coupe whose basic body design it shares.
