- Five-passenger Clarity Fuel Cell sedan slated to launch in California before the end of 2016
- Expected price around $60,000 with a targeted monthly lease under $500
- Next-generation Honda FCV provides significant gains in packaging, interior space and real-world performance, including an anticipated driving range in excess of 300 miles
- Additionally, the platform underpinning the Clarity Fuel Cell will serve as the base for a next-generation Honda plug-in hybrid to launch in the U.S. by 2018
Honda today announced the company’s plans for U.S. sales of its new 5-passenger, hydrogen-powered Clarity Fuel Cell sedan at the 2016 Washington, D.C. Auto Show. Slated to begin retail leasing to customers in select California markets before the end of 2016, the Clarity Fuel Cell is expected to be priced around $60,000 with a targeted monthly lease under $500.
Honda expects limited volumes in the early stages of production. Deliveries will begin through certified fuel cell vehicle dealers in Los Angeles and Orange counties as well as the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. The company will start by leasing vehicles and expects to move to retail sales with increased volumes and market coverage coincident with increasing vehicle supplies and the growing hydrogen refueling station network.
The Clarity Fuel Cell anchors an expanding portfolio of advanced environmental Honda vehicles, including a reengineered 2017 Accord Hybrid, going on-sale this spring, and a new Honda Plug-In Hybrid vehicle based on the same platform as the Clarity Fuel Cell, slated for launch by 2018.
“The new Clarity Fuel Cell and Accord Hybrid arriving this year, along with the new plug-in hybrid coming by 2018, are critical steps toward a new generation of Honda advanced environmental vehicles and a true volume pillar for Honda and our product portfolio in the U.S.,” said John Mendel, executive vice president, Automobile Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The Clarity Fuel Cell is a potential game changer because it offers an uncompromising, zero emissions customer experience, with performance, utility, range and refueling time on par with today’s gasoline-powered cars.”
