X

Honda kills Accord Hybrid

Honda's Accord Hybrid was never a big seller, and now it goes away.

Brian Cooley Editor at Large
Brian Cooley is CNET's Editor at large and has been with the brand since 1995. He currently focuses on electrification of vehicles but also follows the big trends in smart home, digital healthcare, 5G, the future of food, and augmented & virtual realities. Cooley is a sought after presenter by brands and their agencies when they want to understand how consumers react to new technologies. He has been a regular featured speaker at CES, Cannes Lions, Advertising Week and The PHM HealthFront™. He was born and raised in Silicon Valley when Apple's campus was mostly apricots.
Expertise Automotive technology, smart home, digital health. Credentials
  • 5G Technician, ETA International
See full bio
Brian Cooley
Accord Hybrid just never caught on.
Accord Hybrid just never caught on. Honda

No sooner does Toyota announce it will hybridize its entire car line than Honda pulls the plug on the Accord Hybrid. Only 25,000 have been sold in three years--Toyota sold that many Priuses last month.

Accord buyers tend to be a sober bunch, and the numbers didn't impress them: The Accord Hybrid costs $31,090 and delivers 28/35 mpg. Compare that to a standard 4-cylinder gas-engined Accord for $25,050 that delivers 26/34 mpg.

Which isn't to say that hybrids with dubious fuel economy advantages can't sell--Lexus is happy with the GS, RX, and pending LS hybrids--but those are buyers who are willing to pay to make a progressive statement. More damaging to the Accord is the Camry hybrid which costs $4,890 less and delivers much better mpg of 40/38.

Honda's Civic Hybrid will stay in the lineup, but look for the Accord Hybrid to go poof when the redesigned Accord line hits showrooms this fall--possibly ushering in a diesel for the first time.