Honda’s to produce 100,000 units of new hybrid, priced lower than Prius

Honda’s new dedicated-hybrid only model will arrive on the market next year and it’s already making headlines. We saw spy shots of the hybrid earlier last month – sporting a Prius-like design – its main competitor.

Richard Colliver, executive vice president of Honda Motor Co. America, said that the new small-hybrid will be priced below the Prius. Colliver said that the hybrid, which is smaller than the Civic Hybrid, will arrive in April 2009.

“We”re targeting sales of 100,000 units of this new vehicle in North America,” Colliver said.

Power is expected to come from a 1.3 liter engine mated with a nickel metal hydride battery. According to insiders the “small hybrid” will get more than 60mpg.

Toyota sold more than 181,000 Prius hybrids last year and sold more than 106,00 this year.

Source: MSNBC