Honda to sell world's 1st bike with bio-ethanol mixed fuel

There are tons of flex-fuel automobiles in the world, both in the United States and abroad. Interestingly, though, before today there weren't any flex-fuel motorcycles in existence. Honda has just rectified that little oversight with its new CG150 Titan Mix, a model that will be available in Brazil for under $3,000 starting this month. As it's name suggests, the ethanol-capable bike features a 150cc single cylinder engine that's equipped with Honda's proprietary Mix Fuel Injection System which is capable of detecting the presence and concentration of ethanol and gasoline and tailoring its operation based on what it's been fed.

It's not surprising that this new model would debut first in Brazil. That country has managed to produce enough ethanol, mostly from sugarcane, to nearly displace fossil fuels from its transportation sector. Honda's Brazilian subsidiary hopes to sell 200,000 CG150 Titan Mix models per year.

[Source: Honda]

PRESS RELEASE:

Honda Begins Sales of Flex Fuel Motorcycle CG150 TITAN MIX in Brazil

Brazil, March 11, 2009 - Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda.(HDA), a Honda subsidiary in Brazil responsible for production and sales of motorcycles and power products, announced it will begin sales in Brazil of the flex fuel CG150 TITAN MIX in mid-March 2009. This small-sized motorcycle is equipped with a Mix Fuel Injection System, a flexible-fuel technology developed independently by Honda. This is the first motorcycle in the world to be equipped with flexible-fuel technology. The starting price is 6,340 real, and the company is planning to sell 200,000 units annually.

With adoption of newly developed fuel supply and fuel injection control systems, Honda's Mix Fuel Injection System enables flexible mixture of environmentally-responsible bio-ethanol and gasoline fuels. Adoption of this technology helps reduce CO2 emissions, while reducing fuel costs for consumers as well.

In Brazil, penetration of flexible-fuel technology is well advanced, and approximately 90% of new automobiles sold in Brazil are equipped with flexible-fuel technology. However, CG150 TITAN MIX will be the first motorcycle model to be equipped with flexible-fuel technology.

Industry-wide new motorcycle registrations in Brazil reached approximately 1.91 million units in 2008, and Honda sales accounted for 1.326 million units of the total.


About Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda.
Establishment: July 1975
Locationt: Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
Capital Investment: 557.747 million Brazilian Real (as of the end of June 2008)
Investment Ratio: 100% Honda South America Ltda.
Representative: Sho Minekawa, President
Business: Production, import, and sales of motorcycles and power products
Employment: Approximately 10,000 associates (as of the end of December 2008)
Major Products: CG150 TITAN, CG125 FAN, Biz125, NXR150 BROS, POP, HORNET etc.