Toyota is one car maker which is raking in serious dough with the Prius Hybrid. Not to be left behind, fellow Japanese car maker Honda too wants to join the party in early 2009 with a Hybrid of it’s own based on the Fit sub-compact. As it is based on the Fit sub-compact, expect the Hybrid to have a five door hatchback design with capacity to seat five adults. The Hybrid’s battery and control unit will sit in it’s undercarriage, thus saving a lot of space which can then be used by the passengers. As Honda expects to sell a whopping 200000 Hybrids, expect it to be as conventional as possible with the only big change being that of the hybrid engine. Meanwhile, the engine will feature the Integrated Motor Assist system which will be used for start up at traffic stops and also to power the car while it is coasting. That means the Honda Hybrid will seamlessly switch between electric and gasoline power as and when required, thus reducing fuel consumption and emissions too. With Honda so serious about the Hybrid car, it is only a matter of time before other manufacturers too adopt hybrid engines for a cleaner, greener and healthier tomorrow.

Source: techon.nikkeibp
Image : i.treehugger244408