New Honda chief: We don't need rwd sedans
<script>queryvar="new,honda,chief:,we,dont,need,rwd,sedans";</script> Chieko Tsuneoka
Automotive News
July 20, 2009 - 12:01 am ET
TOKYO -- The new president of Honda Motor Co. says the company doesn't need a V-8 rear-wheel-drive sedan because market demand has shifted to fuel-efficient cars.
Takanobu Ito said Honda recently suspended its rwd program and called it "a good decision." Instead Honda will focus on hybrid drivetrains for bigger cars.
"I don't think we need a classic front-engine, rear-drive car," Ito said at his first press conference since taking the reins from Takeo Fukui last month. "It would be meaningless to emulate what other companies have been doing for more than five decades."
Honda needs to pioneer new territory, Ito said.
"We are considering incorporating new engines, motors, transmissions and chassis into mid- to large-sized hybrid vehicles, and I think this is a good opportunity for change," he said.
Honda had long steered clear of a V-8, saying its six-cylinder engines provided sufficient power. But last year Fukui said Honda was planning a fuel-efficient V-8 for Acura.
The program was axed when the Japanese automaker reshuffled priorities to survive the global market meltdown. Also put on hold were plans to develop clean diesel technology.
