FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HONDA INTRODUCES NEW HATCHBACK SEDAN TOKYO, May 7 -- Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Friday started marketi ng in Japan a new 1. 6-lit er hatchback sedan p owe~ed by a low-polluti on, fuel-saving CVCC engi ne. Named the Honda Accord CVCC, the latest Honda model is already being shipped to the Unit ed States, where it is scheduled to appear in dealer showrooms in June. Preparati ons are also currently under way for export to other parts of the world. In developing and desig ning the Accord, Honda pursued the phil osophy of att aining the best possible balance among such factors as low polluti on characteristi cs, good utility, sati sfa ctory driveability, comfo rt, safety and hig h fu el economy, which it feels is indispensable in an automobil e today. Thus, the Accord is built on the same basic princip le which culminated in the Honda Civic model, which, since it s _initi al introducti on in 1972, has gained an undisputed popularity both at home and abroad. The new Accord model, powered by the Honda-developed CVCC engi ne system, easily meets the so-called 1976 emission standards of the Japanese Government, which are 0. 25 gram per kilometer hydrocarbons (HC), 2. 1 gr/km carbon monoxide (CO) and 0. 6 gr/km oxides of nit ro gen (NOx), wit hout such aft er-treatment devices as catal yti c converters or exhaust gas redrculati on (EGR). In August, 1975, Honda became the fi rst Japanese automaker to meet these stringent standards wit h all of it s passenger car li ne, well in advance of the le gall y required date of April, 1977. In additi on to these low-polluti on characteristi cs, the Accord, li ke the Civic, fe atures an outstanding fuel economy. According to the offici al fig ure released by the Transport Ministry, it s Japanese market version makes 10. 5 kil ometers per lit er of gasoli ne (24. 7 mil es per U.S. gallon) under the so-called 10-mode city driving cycle establi shed by the Japanese Government. In the Unit ed States, meanwhil e, the Environmental Protecti on Agency has certifi ed that the Accord not only meets the present Califo rnia emission standards wit hout any 11han g-on11 device, but also has the excellent fuel economy of 31 mil es per gallo;n by the city driving cycle and 44 mil es per gallon by the highway driving cycle, fo r the composit e average of 36 mil es per gallon wit h it s 5-speed manual transmission typ e, the best fu el economy fig ure among all automobil es EPA has certifi ed for sale in the U.S. during the 1976 model year. The new Honda Accord also off ers suffici ent power and good driveability characteristi cs, as it s 1. 6-lit er CVCC engine deli vers the peak outp ut of 80 horsepower at 5, 300 rpm and hig h torque in the low and medium engi ne speed range, the maximum being 12. 3 kg-m (89. 0 ft -lb) at 3, 000 rpm, contributi ng to easy operati on. The transmission system comes in 2-speed automati c, 4-speed manual and 5-speed manual. The noise and vibrati on fr om the engi ne are reduced to a minimum wit h such innovati ons as the newly-desig ned engi ne mounti ng mechanism and eig ht weig hts at the crankshaft as compared wit h conventi onal fo ur. The engi ne drives the fr ont wheels, assuring a hig h degree of maneuverability and stability, as well as maximum interior space through the el iminati on of the dri veshaft tunnel on the fl oor. The new Honda hatchback sedan has a lar ge tail gate in the rear, which opens up an ample lugg age space. The rear seat back can be fo lded down to provide even a lar ger lu gg_age space, making this sedan most versatil e. The Honda Accord, wit h a lig ht but sturdy monocoque body, abounds in safety features, incorporati ng Honda 1s basic thinking that a car should be built in such a way not only to minimize damage in case of an acci dent but to enable the driver to avoid potenti al hazzards through excellent maneuverability and by providing him wit h suffici ent info rmati on in advance -- the same idea that has been inherit ed since the company developed it s experimental safety vehicle (ESV). Specifi call y, the instrument panel contains a wide variety of warning lamps and guages to remind the driver of possible sources of hazzards. The brake system of the Accord consists of vaccuum servo-assisted disc brakes up fr ont and drum brakes in the rear wit h the proporti onal contr ol valve which prevents the rear wheels fr om locking up in case of emergency braking. Avail able as opti ons are the air-conditi oning unit and power steering, both developed especiall y fo r the Accord. Dimensions Length Width Heig ht Wheelbase Tread: Front Rear Ground clearance Interior space: Lengt h Width Heig ht Weig ht Engine Type Displacement Bore x stroke Compression rati o Perfo rmance Maximum power Maximum torque Braking distance Minimum turning radius Ma~ecifications 4, 125 mm (1 62. 40 in) 1, 620 mm (63. 78 in) 1, 340 mm (52. 76 in) 2, 380 mm (93. 70 in) 1, 400 mm (55. 12 in) 1,390 mm (54. 72 in) 165 mm ( 6. 50 in) 1, 745 mm (68. 70 in) 1, 315 mm (51. 77 in) 1, 120 mm (44. 09 in) 835 to 875 kil ograms (1 ,841 to 1,929 lbs) depending on the transmission and type. CVCC, single overhead camshaft, 4-cyli nder, water-cooled, transversely mounted. 1,599 cc (97.57 cu in) 74. 0 x 93. 0 mm (2. 91 x 3. 66 in) 8. 0 : 1 80 ps/ 5, 300 rpm 12. 3 kg-m (89. O ft -lb) / 3, 000 rpm 13. 5 meters fr om 50 km/h (44. 29 ft fr om 31 mph) 5 meters (16. 40 ft) MAY 7, 1CJ 76 RETAIL PRICE IN TOKYO OF THE HONDA ACCORD CVCC CAR. SL ¥ 906,000.- GL ¥ 966,000.- LX ¥1,026, 000. — EX ¥1, 120,000.- Remarks: * Automati c Transmission ¥20,000.- extra fo r LX. EX ¥40, 000.- extra fo r SL. GL * On sale from May 8, 1 976 * Producti on Plan: 8,000 unit s per month (i ncluding fo r export.)