Report: Honda will give new life to Accord Hybrid

In 2004, Honda introduced a gas-electric version of the Accord sedan. The vehicle, sporting a powerful 3.0-liter V6 engine and Honda's Integrated Motor Assist, boasted remarkable performance numbers, but only modest gains in fuel economy. In fact, the 2006 Accord Hybrid, rated at a meager 25 miles per gallon city and 34 mpg highway, was beat out by the available four-cylinder model, which returned 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway and nearly matched by the non-hybrid V6 version. The muscular hybrid, despite its 255 horses, was an experimental disaster for Honda. By 2007, the Accord Hybrid fell victim to the automaker's axe and has not been resurrected since.

Now, according to a report from Automotive News (sub. req.), Honda may be toying with the idea of bringing the Accord Hybrid back from the dead and we sure hope that the Japanese automaker doesn't make the same mistake twice. While performance hybrids may dominate the luxury vehicle class, the more mundane midsize segment typically features hybrids that cut consumption and sacrifice performance to alleviate pain at the pump. Since that's what buyers expect, then we'll be shocked if Honda delivers something different this time around.

[Source: Hybrid Cars | Image: IFCAR – C.C. License 2.0]