Japanese carmaker Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it plans to introduce vehicles with low-pollution, fuel-efficient diesel engines in Japan and North America within the next few years.
Honda hopes to launch the clean diesel vehicles “as soon as possible” in Japan, said spokesman Yoshiyuki Kuroda, adding that the company will make a decision within the next three years.
He said Honda also aims to introduce the engine in North America within the next two years, as previously announced.
Earlier, the Nikkei business daily reported that Honda planned to roll out the clean diesel vehicles in Japan by 2009, becoming the first Japanese automaker to launch them in the domestic market.
The vehicles emit 20 percent less carbon dioxide than petrol-powered ones and substantially reduce emissions compared with conventional diesel cars.
Other Japanese carmakers including Nissan are also stepping up efforts in this area.
Although hybrids, which run on a mix of petrol and electricity, consume less fuel, the new Honda vehicles are expected to be comparable in terms of fuel costs because diesel is about 15 percent cheaper than petrol (gasoline), the Nikkei said.
