Honda Motor Co. Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that it is considering developing a fourth hybrid vehicle, a gasoline-electric light truck, as rival Toyota Motor Corp. prepares to launch two hybrid SUVs next year. Such a vehicle would help Honda keep pace with its larger Japanese rival, which is ramping up production of hybrids and hopes to sell 300,000 hybrid vehicles in 2005.
Honda is now considering expanding its hybrid lineup. "We haven’t defined yet which vehicle it will be, but it probably will be something in our light-truck line, probably on the SUV side," said Tom Elliott, executive vice president of Honda Motor’s US subsidiary. Honda has several light trucks in its model range, including the Honda CR-V and Pilot SUVS, the boxy Element and the premium Acura MDX SUV.
