Goodwood Festival of Speed

June 25, 2008– Honda will be displayed again at this year’s Festival of Speed, with performances from two and four wheeled legends spanning five decades, and a host of Honda’s most famous racing champions.

Blasting up the Goodwood Hill for Honda will be:

Cars
Alex Wurz and Jenson Button :
Honda RA107 – Powered by a 2.4 liter V8 engine, the Honda Racing F1 team’s 2007 challenger can reach maximum speeds of 211mph.

Tom Chilton, Stephen Worthy, Journalist and Vicki Butler Henderson:
2008 Civic Type R BTCC – One of Britain’s most iconic hot hatches, Honda's 2-liter Civic Type R has been a power to reckon with, spearheading the Team Halfords attack in the most challenging and demanding of series outside of F1.

Andrew Frankel, national freelance journalist:
Tarquini’s Accord Super Touring BTCC 2000 – For more than a decade Honda has been at the forefront of Britain's Touring Car Series. This outstanding Accord was driven in the British Touring Car Series in 1994 by Italian Gabrielli Tarquini and partnered by Britain's James Thompson.

Motorcycles
Tommy Robb:
RC 163 – Winner of all nine races in the 250cc class in the 1962 World Championship, the RC 163 took the Manufacturer's and Rider's Championships, contributing to Honda's continuous streak of title wins with Jim Redman.

Stuart Graham:
RC 174 – Winner of seven out of eight races in the 1967 World Championship, the RC 174, equipped with a DOHC 6-cylinder engine took the Manufacturer's and Rider's Championships in the 350cc class. It was also an IOM TT winner with Mike Hailwood.

Luigi Taveri:
RC 163 – This machine's victory in the 250cc class at the 1961 West German Grand Prix was the first GP win for a Japanese rider. The machine dominated the class, winning all 10 events it entered.

Bob Heath:
RC 173 – One of the rarest motorcycles at the Festival, valued at more than £400,000 this is one of only two RC 173s built for Mike "the bike" Hailwood by Honda in 1965. This 4-cylinder, 350cc machine took Hailwood to victory in every Grand Prix he entered that year. The machine was re-built by Bob Heath with the help of Honda in Japan.

Jim Redman:
Honda Superstock CBR1000RR 2008 – Honda's lastest Fireblade capable of reaching 100mph in first gear! It's currently leading the 2008 Superstock Championship in the hands of Steve Brogan.

Ralph Bryans:
Honda RC 171 – This machine contested the 1962 Grand Prix Championship in the 350cc class. A successor of the RC 170, it debuted at the Ulster GP (Round 7) and contributed to Honda's first 3-class sweep.

John McGuinness:
2007 TT winning Fireblade – Honda’s Fireblade power also features in the hands of the Isle of Man TT’s lap record holder at 130mph. John's mastery of road circuits has made him one of the world legends of the sport. At Goodwood he's riding the actual bike that broke the TT record and won four TT races.

Cal Crutchlow and Leon Haslam :
HM Plant Superstock Fireblade – This 200-plus horsepower rocket races in this year's hotly contested British Superbike Series. With a top speed of nearly 200mph, this is one of the fastest, best engineered racing bikes in the world today.

Mick Doohan:
HM Plant Superbike Fireblade – Mick will ride Leon Haslam's official 2008 Honda Fireblade Superbike machine which produces over 200bhp in the 2008 British Superbike Championship.

India's first hybrid car - the Civic Hybrid -

NEW DELHI, India, June 18, 2008 - Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) launched India's first hybrid car - the globally acclaimed Civic Hybrid. The Civic Hybrid offers a rare combination of being environmentally friendly, fuel efficient and also having a high fun-to-drive quotient.

The launch of the Civic Hybrid is the fulfillment of yet another commitment HSCI made to its customers – of bringing in latest technologies and models from Honda’s global line-up.

The Honda Civic Hybrid System features a 3-stage i-VTEC + IMA that employs Honda’s 1.3L i-VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) engine to provide three stages of valve timing (low-speed, high-speed, and cylinder idle mode), combined with a compact and efficient electric motor, Honda’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system. Together with highly efficient CVT transmission, the system provides nearly 47% enhanced fuel efficiency than a regular 1.8L Civic AT without compromising on driving performance.

The Civic Hybrid can deactivate all four of its cylinders and operate using only the electric motor in certain steady-state cruising situations.

In addition, the internal combustion engine is switched off when car comes to a stop while the brake pedal is pressed. These factors contribute greatly to the reduction of fuel consumption and emissions, particularly in city traffic.

Apart from sleek, aerodynamic exteriors and new-age luxurious interiors, Honda Civic Hybrid offers the best in safety technology, including Active Headrest and four SRS Airbags (driver, assistant and side air bags), besides other safety features.

FCX Clarity - Advanced Eco Car

TOKYO, Japan, June 10, 2008–Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will provide its new fuel cell vehicle, FCX Clarity, as well as Civic Hybrid and other advanced technologies for the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held July 7-9, 2008.

In addition to providing environmentally-responsible vehicles, Honda is to exhibit its advanced environmental technologies including the CIGS(A compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium) thin film solar cells, of which Honda began mass production and sales in 2007, as well as the Honda FC Stack, which is installed in FCX Clarity.