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Corporate May
18 , 2001 |
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European Civic to be Equipped with Isuzu-designed Diesel Engine
Honda Further Announces Development of New-Generation 2-liter Class Diesel Engine |
Tokyo, May 18, 2001 --- Honda
Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it plans to equip its European Civic
with 1.7-liter Isuzu diesel engine, starting production in November 2001.
The diesel engine will be manufactured by Isuzu Motors Incorporated at its
Polish plant (Isuzu Motors Polska). Honda is also developing a new-generation
2-liter class diesel turbo engine and is aiming to mass-produce the engine
for the next generation European Accord to be launched in 2003. With respect
to the new 2-liter diesel engine, Honda has reached a basic agreement with
Isuzu for technical support in the development process leading up to mass
production. The percentage of diesel passenger vehicle sales in the European
market has been increasing year by year and Honda plans to strengthen the
competitiveness of its flagship model Civic and next generation Accord vehicles
by equipping them with diesel engines.
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1.7
liter diesel turbo engine |
In December 1999, Honda reached an agreement with General Motors Corporation
(GM) to supply GM with Honda's V6 ULEV engine and transmission, and Isuzu,
a GM Group company, to provide Honda with diesel engines for Honda vehicles
bound for the European market. The contract this time to supply diesel engines
is in accordance with that agreement and stipulates that Isuzu will provide
approximately 5,000 engines to Honda through March of 2002 and another 15,000
engines annually commencing in April for Civics to be sold in the European
market. Production of the Civic will be at Honda's U.K. subsidiary, Honda
of the U.K. Manufacturing, Ltd. (HUM, located in Swindon, Wiltshire, England).
The engine that Isuzu will supply Honda with is a newly developed 1686cc
DOHC diesel equipped with a common rail high-pressure fuel injection system.
It is exclusively designed for the Civic and provides a maximum output of
100ps (value based on in-house testing), while still delivering excellent
fuel economy.
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New-generation 2-liter diesel turbo engine |
Honda is currently developing a new-generation 2-liter class diesel turbo
engine with an aluminum engine block based upon technological know-how gained
in the development of its gasoline engine aluminum engine blocks. The development
process is now shifting towards mass production with plans to install the
engine in the next generation European Accord in 2003. Utilizing its expertise
in engine technology, Honda will strive to develop a next-generation engine
with top-level environmental friendliness and powerful performance.
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