Honda Rolls Out Natural Gas Civic GX in Japan

Honda Motor Co. on Monday launched a natural gas-powered Civic sedan in Japan that is made in America and virtually pollution-free.

Although the car may be the epitome of political correctness for a Japanese auto maker, there is a catch: Honda expects to sell only about 100 of the cars in Japan a year, a drop in the bucket compared with the 800,000 or so gasoline-engine cars it sells each year in its home market.

The natural gas Civic GX, already launched in April in the U.S., emits 20% less globe-warming carbon dioxide than conventional gasoline engines, while emissions of other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons are at or close to zero, the auto maker said.

“Honda began research and development of a natural gas vehicle after realizing that natural gas is a promising alternative fuel for automobiles,” the auto maker said.

The Civic GX joins low-emission gasoline vehicles and electric vehicles already in Honda’s fleet of clean cars.

The company plans to make 1,000 natural gas Civics per year over the next three years at its plant in East Liberty, Ohio, with about 100 earmarked for export to Japan and the rest to be sold in the U.S.

Honda rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. also sell a small number of natural gas vehicles in Japan.

Honda said the Civic GX, with a 1.6-liter engine, can run 210 miles on a single 100-liter tank of fuel, about half the distance achieved by a conventional Civic with a 16-gallon gasoline tank.

Prices for the new Civic will start at $14,200 in the Tokyo area, compared with $9,940 for a comparable gasoline-powered Civic, although buyers will be able to apply for a rebate of up to $2,130 under a subsidy program for clean cars.

A Honda spokesman noted that Japan lags the U.S. in the use of natural gas vehicles. The U.S. has almost 2,000 stations where drivers can fuel up with compressed natural gas, compared with a little more than 60 in Japan, he said.