Honda Drops Honda Accord Hybrid

On June 4 Honda officials announced that the company will discontinue the hybrid Accord at the end of the current model year. The new Honda Accord, which will go on sale in September, will not be available in a gasoline-electric hybrid version, according to a company spokesman.

The decision didn’t come as a complete surprise, as Accord hybrid sales have been less than enthusiastic since it arrived in 2004. Most analysts point the blame on Honda's decision to pair electric components with a V-6 engine instead of with a higher-mileage four-cylinder gasoline motor.

Hybrid cars use electric motors to supplement power from the gasoline, resulting in improved fuel economy.

In the United States, Honda dealers sold just 6,100 Accord hybrids last year, and a very disappointing 439 last month. In stark comparison, rival Toyota sold 24,000 Prius hybrids in May, the car's best sales month in history.

"The cancellation of the Honda Accord hybrid points out the fact that hybrid manufacturers have largely been unable to expand the public's perception of hybrids beyond high fuel economy," said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and its kbb.com Web site.

Auto industry analysts characterized the car's brief run as a cautionary tale, with the lesson being that only a small segment of the public will buy a vehicle that carries a high price for hybrid technology but

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