Open Letter to Honda

In spite of the recent news that the top ten cars in the United States are all made overseas, I have a few bones to pick with Honda. To be fair, except for the Continuously Variable Transmission, my Honda Civic was made in Ohio and designed by a California company.. I have been buying Hondas since 1979 and have seldom been disappointed. Their hatchbacks have been roomy, their engines always started and the mileage has been great.

The 21st Century has ushered in a new type of car, the hybrid. While not the true electric car of the future, the hybrid can cruise on the level on battery power alone for short distances, garnering almost fifty miles per gallon of low test. The main problem seems to be balancing the weight of the batteries against the amperage needed to power the car at highway speeds for a reasonable length of time. Honda decided to place the NiMh batteries vertically behind the rear seat, removing the very handy fold down rear seat.

Other car makers have solved the problem by replacing the spare tire with a flat fixer bottle of air and placing the batteries under the trunk floor. This position also improves the front to rear weight bias and allows more space for more powerful batteries. It has been years since anyone in my family has had a flat tire. This may be due to the steel belts or just better roads, I don