NEW HONDA 2000 ACCORD SULEV

PRICED AT $23,200

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 7 – The 2000 Honda Accord, the first gasoline-powered vehicle to meet California's new Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standard, will have a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $23,200, including a $100 emission charge, when it goes on sale late this month, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced today at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.

The new SULEV requirements are the most stringent in the world and part of the California LEV-II exhaust emission standards that go into effect beginning in the 2004 model year.

The SULEV certification will apply to the Accord EX Sedan with a 4-cylinder,
2.3-liter engine and automatic transmission. Building on Honda's advanced Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) technology, it employs advanced electronic controls, Honda's patented VTEC (Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Control) engine, and new catalytic converter technology.

"The Super-ULEV Accord is another example of Honda's continued leadership in low emission technologies,” said Tom Elliott, American Honda executive vice president. "Nearly 85 percent of all Hondas sold in the U.S. for the 2000 model year feature advanced low emission technology.”

The SULEV standard calls for a reduction in hydrocarbon emissions of

96 percent from the current federal Tier-1 passenger car levels, and an 86 percent reduction compared to the California Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standard. The California Air Resources Board says that a SULEV vehicle's engine will emit only

2.3 pounds of ozone-forming hydrocarbons during 100,000 miles of driving – about the same result as spilling a quart of gasoline.

The 2000 Accord SULEV represents Honda's ongoing efforts to reduce emissions from gasoline-fueled internal combustion engines. Honda was first to introduce a gasoline vehicle meeting California's LEV standard and the first to voluntarily sell LEVs nationwide. With the 1998 Accord, Honda was also the first automaker to sell a gasoline vehicle meeting California's ULEV standard.

Honda also has certified the 2000 Civic GX to the new SULEV standards. The Civic GX is Honda's dedicated natural gas-powered vehicle and is available to fleet customers nationwide.

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