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Japanese carmaker Honda will follow rival Toyota¡¯s lead and start selling hybrid cars here next year as oil prices continue to soar. Hyundai Motor also plans to sell hybrid vehicles, signaling stiff competition ahead.
Honda Korea said Tuesday it will import hybrid Accord cars from the first half of next year and is deciding the price. The hybrid Accord has a 3,000 cc engine, but its fuel efficiency matches that of the 1,000 cc small Morning produced by Kia ? it can run 15.7 km on 1 liter of gas. The hybrid Accord sells for about US$30,000 in the U.S., but the model¡¯s Korean price is expected to be around W45 million (about US$45,000).
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The Honda Accord
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Toyota¡¯s hybrid Lexus RX400h will hit the Korean market in the second half of next year. Toyota¡¯s model has a 3,300 cc engine and runs 17.8 km on 1 liter of gas.
In Korea, Hyundai already supplied 50 hybrid Clicks to the government on a trial basis last year. The carmaker plans to start mass production of the vehicle next year. The hybrid Click can go 18 km on 1 liter, 50 percent more efficient than the original Click running on gasoline only.
Meanwhile, Honda Korea plans to sell the 3,500 cc sedan Legend (known as the Acura in the U.S.) in Korea starting next year.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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