Honda Begins Production of Civic GX Natural Gas Vehicles at Indiana Plant

15 May 2009

Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC (HMIN) began production of the natural gas-powered 2009 Civic GX at its plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The Civic GX was formerly produced at Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio plant and has ten years of proven performance as a natural gas powered vehicle. The Civic GX is the only natural gas vehicle built by a major automaker in the US.

First introduced in 1998, the Civic GX is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle certified by the EPA—90% cleaner than the average gasoline-powered car on the road today. As a result, the GX is certified by the EPA as an Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle (ILEV). It is the only natural gas powered passenger car available for sale in all 50 states, and is eligible for a $4,000 federal tax credit as a qualified alternative fuel vehicle.

It is powered by a 113-hp (84 kW), 1.8-liter, 16-valve, SOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine built at Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio, and it is designed with a higher compression ratio—12.5:1—to maximize performance from natural gas fuel. The engine develops 109 lb-ft (148 N·m) of torque at 4,300 rpm, and is coupled with a five speed automatic transmission. It has an average range of more than 220 miles, and has fuel economy of 24 mpg (city) and 36 mpg (highway).

Honda Manufacturing of Indiana began Civic GX production just seven months after starting mass production of the 4-cylinder Honda Civic sedan at its new plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The $550 million plant currently employs approximately 1,000 associates and is designed as a zero waste-to-landfill facility.

Assembling the Civic GX brings flexibility and new capabilities at the plant. HMIN is a comprehensive production facility that includes metal stamping, plastic injection molding, subassembly, and final assembly. Producing the GX on the same assembly line with other vehicles required the addition of unique production processes, including fuel tank sub-assembly and installation, and a fueling center for compressed natural gas.

The Honda Civic sedan being built in Indiana features the fuel-efficient 140-hp, 1.8-liter, 16-valve SOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder gasoline engine also produced by Honda associates in Anna, Ohio. As in all new 2009 model Honda and Acura automobiles, the engine meets or exceeds US EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions standards. The Civic sedan also qualifies as an Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) as rated by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).