TOKYO, Japan, February 4, 2016 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will begin sales of an affordably-priced hybrid version as well as the newly refreshed gasoline-powered version of the Honda Odyssey and Odyssey Absolute premium minivans on Friday, February 5, 2016 at dealerships across Japan. A new addition to the Odyssey lineup, the hybrid version realizes both excellent fuel economy and high-quality driving in the Odyssey and Odyssey Absolute which have been well-received for their spacious cabin, stately styling and exhilarating yet stable driving experience.

The newly-added Odyssey Hybrid and Odyssey Hybrid Absolute are the first Honda premium minivan models equipped with the revolutionary Honda-developed powertrain Sport Hybrid i-MMD^*1 and realize class-topping^*2 fuel economy of 26.0 km/L (JC08 mode)^*3. In the thorough pursuit of system efficiency, Honda developed a new motor that features an innovative winding method and structure. This newly-developed motor is approximately 23% smaller and lighter than the previous version and yet realizes high torque and high output. Moreover, by compactly emplacing the lithium-ion battery underneath the floor of the first-row seats, these hybrid models realize outstanding fuel economy as well as high-quality and powerful driving without compromising the unique features of the Odyssey such as a spacious cabin and ease of use.

As for the gasoline-powered version, each model was made more attractive to more customers through the enhancement of comfort features such a large-sized armrest for the driver’s seat and a full automatic air-conditioning unit that adopts Plasmacluster^®*4 technology.

In addition, the Honda SENSING™ suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies is now available for all grades. Making it easier for customers to select from the lineup, gasoline-powered models now have a new grade which features Honda SENSING as standard equipment.