Honda Motor Company has announced plans for an expansion in the production of petrol-electric hybrid vehicles. The company have also said that it would launch a hybrid-only model early in 2009.
Honda are Japan’s second-biggest car manufacturer of cars said it estimated that they will sell more than 500,000 hybrid cars annually by 2010. Last year it sold approximately 52,000 units of its single hybrid model, a version of its Civic that has been on sale since 2001.
Honda is attempting to rival Toyota, Japan’s largest car manufacturer, which has worldwide lead in low-emissions vehicles thanks to its pioneering Prius hybrid. Toyota celebrated its millionth Prius sale in the first quarter of this year and has said it hopes to sell 1 million hybrid cars annually by 2010.
Other worldwide car manufacturers are also speeding up development of battery-powered cars as sky-high fuel prices and tighter regulations begins to hit both manufacturers and motorists.
