Hybrids Arrive to Mexico

The 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid (see our previous posts on the car here and here) will be the first hybrid car available for Mexicans looking for a greener vehicle. The car arriving is the Civic new generation, which has improved its technology compared with the previous model, both in the hybrid and non-hybrid parts, and will be available at the end of the year. While in the US this car costs nearly 15% more than its almost equivalent – as there really isn’t an exact equivalent - in Mexico this difference will be higher because the car needs some regional adjustments: the suspension height has to be adjusted and both motors have to be adapted to the elevated Mexican altitudes.

The Mexican government is backing up the move with some tax exemptions for consumers who get the car, so it’s not hard to imagine other brands following through.

Mexicans are also lucky to have the Honda Fit (known as the Honda Jazz to the rest of the world; we talked a bit about it here) one year before the rest of North-America. It is a smaller car than the new Civic, but it gets quite good mileage and it is one of those "small on the outside, big on the inside" cars. [by Paula Alvarado and Michael G. Richard]

Picture: Autocosmos.com

Through ::Diario de Yucatán (in Spanish)