Award-Winning Honda Accord Lineup Gets Even Stronger for 2014

Powered by efficient Earth Dreams™ Technology, the 2014 Honda Accord lineup will include 4-cylinder and V-6 sedan and coupe, and two hybrid sedan models

•Most popular mid-size passenger car in America gets better for 2014

•Improvements to the 2014 Honda Accord include new premium seat fabric on the LX sedan

TORRANCE, Calif., – Honda today announced the 2014 Accord Coupe will go on-sale tomorrow followed by the Accord Sedan on August 22. Featuring the award-winning Honda Earth Dreams Technology™ powertrains, the Accord lineup includes a direct injected 4-cylinder engine and a powerful and fuel-efficient V-6. A sporty CVT (4-cylinder models only) and a 6-speed manual transmission are also available. A new 2-motor Accord Hybrid, built1 with the rest of the Accord lineup in a Honda plant in Marysville, Ohio, will debut later this fall.

Launched in fall 2012, Accord was the most popular midsize passenger car in America for the first six months of 2013, based on sales to individual (non-fleet) car buyers, according to new vehicle registration data from R.L. Polk.

The all-new 2013 Accord has earned a host of awards for setting new benchmarks for fuel efficiency, fun-to-drive performance, customer-friendly connectivity, advanced safety features and overall value.

Starting at $21,955, the 2014 Honda Accord Sedan goes on sale August 22, 2013, and the Coupe, with prices starting at $23,625, launches tomorrow. The 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid Sedan, with prices starting at $39,780, debuted in early 2013. Pricing for the 2014 Accord Hybrid Sedan will be announced closer to its October on-sale date.

The 2013 Accord has received numerous accolades, including an unprecedented 27th Car and Driver '10 Best' title for the model, as well as an Automobile Magazine All-Star award, a Best Family Car award from Parenting magazine and Edmunds.com, and Best New Sedan Under $25,000 status from KBB.com. The Accord also topped the competition in a six-way midsize sedan comparison test by Cars.com, USA Today and Motorweek, and was found to have the highest resale value in its class by KBB.com. The Accord's Earth Dreams Technology 4-cylinder and V-6 engines were also chosen as among the 10 Best Engines of 2013 by Ward's.

Sophisticated and Athletic

Using the highest amount of high-strength steel in the history of the model, the Accord Sedan and Coupe bodies combine sophisticated and athletic styling with high-efficiency safety protection and remarkable aerodynamic streamlining. Extensive use of under-covers improve the aerodynamics for increased fuel efficiency, while other advances include available LED headlights, DRLs and brake lights, and mirror-mounted turn signals.

Earth Dreams™ Technology

Innovative Earth Dreams™ Technology powertrains include Honda's next-generation 2.4-liter, direct-injected 4-cylinder engine with continuously variable transmission or 6-speed manual transmission. The 2014 Accord Sedan and Coupe are also available with a powerful and efficient V-6 mated to 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual (Coupe only) transmission. The Accord Plug-in Hybrid Sedan and new Accord Hybrid Sedan both use an all-new two-motor hybrid system paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel efficiency is the best ever for Accord in the EPA Midsize class, with 4-cylinder models earning a 36 mpg highway EPA rating2 and V-6 models garnering a 34 mpg highway EPA rating2.

Well-Appointed Interior

The Accord interior provides a level of luxury and craftsmanship never before seen in the Accord. Available in Black, Gray and Ivory colors schemes, in cloth or leather, the Accord interior combines welcoming comfort with an impressive range of available technologies. New for 2014 is a more premium cloth seat fabric on the Accord LX. A new smarter auto-dimming rear-view mirror no longer requires an on/off switch. Standard features include dual-zone automatic climate control, rearview camera, 8-inch (diagonal) 'intelligent' Multi-Information Display (i-MID), Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® phone interface, Pandora® internet radio interface and an SMS text messaging feature.

Other innovative technologies include the cloud-based HondaLink™ connected car system, which lets drivers put away their smartphones and still stay connected to the people, music and social media they love. Also available is the Honda LaneWatch™ blind-spot display, which uses a camera system mounted on the passenger mirror for an enhanced view of the passenger-side roadway. The Accord also has a standard rearview camera and an Expanded View Driver's Mirror.

Responsive Chassis

A highly rigid unit-body, refined suspension technology and advanced electronics define the Accord chassis as the most capable in model history. The Accord is quiet and responsive on city streets, smooth and composed on the highway, and faithful to the driver's wishes on winding roads.

Features include a MacPherson strut front suspension (with Amplitude Reactive Dampers on Hybrid models), a hybrid steel-and-aluminum front subframe (all-aluminum on Hybrid models) and electric power steering (EPS). Active Noise Control (ANC) and Active Sound Control (ASC) on both 4-cylinder and V-6 models counteract noise for a more serene cabin.

Comprehensive Safety and Driver Assistive Technology

The Accord Sedan and Coupe offer the greatest range of active and passive safety and driver assistive features in Honda history. Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) is standard on all Accord models, and available new technologies include Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW). The Accord's Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) II body structure, standard on all models, helps improve frontal crash safety performance. This allows the Accord to be one of few midsize offerings to excel in the rigorous Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) small-overlap frontal barrier crash test, earning it the IIHS' coveted TOP SAFETY PICK+ crash safety rating. The Accord also obtained a top 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).3

Accord Model Range

The 2014 Accord Sedan is available in eight model choices, including six gasoline-engine versions (LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, EX-L V6 and Touring), the Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan, and the new Accord Hybrid Sedan. The 2014 Accord Coupe is available in four model choices (LX-S, EX, EX-L and EX-L V6).

Manufacturing

Celebrating 31 years of Accord production in the United States, the 2014 models reflect the expanding capabilities of Honda in North America. The Accord Sedan and Coupe, and the Accord Hybrid are produced in Marysville, Ohio by Honda of America Mfg., Inc.

by Honda

Meet the 50 MPG Rated Honda Accord Hybrid

•2014 Honda Accord Hybrid is top-rated 4-door sedan with EPA fuel economy rating1 of 50 mpg city

•Mass production2 of the new hybrid begins today at Honda's manufacturing facility in Marysville, Ohio

•Model to go on sale nationwide later this year

With the first models rolling off the Marysville, Ohio assembly line today, the all-new 2014 Accord Hybrid (http://automobiles.honda.com/accord-hybrid/) will carry an EPA fuel economy1 rating of 50 mpg in city driving, making it the new leader in gasoline fuel-economy ratings among 4-door sedans. Set to go on sale at Honda dealerships nationwide later this year, the 2014 Accord Hybrid's city fuel-economy rating is three miles per gallon higher than the closest segment competitor and its calculated driving range of 673 miles is more than 46 miles3 farther than any vehicle in its segment.

'Even before it hits showrooms this fall, the Accord Hybrid is already surpassing the competition and claiming segment leadership,' said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations at American Honda. 'For customers looking for a 50 mpg rated 4-door sedan, there is no other choice than the 2014 Accord Hybrid.'

With EPA fuel-economy ratings1 of 50 mpg city / 45 mpg highway / 47 mpg combined, the 2014 Accord Hybrid combines the sophisticated exterior styling and spacious interior packaging of the Accord Sedan with a highly efficient two-motor hybrid system from Honda's Earth Dreams™ Technology advanced powertrain series. The Accord Hybrid joins an already fuel-efficient Accord lineup that includes the EPA-rated 36 mpg highway1 4-cylinder Accord Sedan and the Accord Plug-in Hybrid, EPA-rated at 115 MPGe combined1 in electric-only mode.

The 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid is the first Honda hybrid vehicle produced in Ohio, at the company's Marysville Auto Plant, and joins the Greensburg, Indiana-built Civic Hybrid as the second Honda hybrid model built in the U.S. Honda invested $18.8 million in a 94,000-square-foot expansion of the Marysville Auto Plant, along with the addition of 50 new full-time jobs to handle the special processes specific to the production of this advanced hybrid model.

'With more than 30 years of experience producing the Accord in Marysville, our associates have continued to advance our capabilities, and the new 50-mpg rated Accord Hybrid is a very special milestone in our history of innovation in Ohio,' said Rob May, Plant Manager of the Marysville Auto Plant. 'Production of this class-leading hybrid represents an important achievement by our associates as they create new value for Honda customers using advanced manufacturing skills and new, cutting-edge technologies.'

Including the expansion at the Marysville Auto Plant, in the past three years Honda has invested nearly $2.7 billion in innovations to and expansion of its North American operations, with more than $1 billion spent in Ohio alone.

About Honda

Honda offers a complete lineup of cars and trucks through a network of more than 1,000 dealerships in the United States. The Accord, the Civic, the CR-V sport-utility vehicle and the Odyssey minivan were the best-selling models in their respective segments among individual car buyers for the first six months of 2013. The company operates 14 manufacturing facilities in North America, including seven auto plants. In 2012, more than 90 percent of the Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were manufactured in North America using global and domestically sourced parts. Over the past three years alone, the company has invested more than $2.7 billion in its North American manufacturing capabilities, bringing to more than $22 billion the amount Honda has invested in its North American operations.

by Honda