Media Release 2 March 2007
For Immediate Release
Honda sticks to giving NZ car buyers more vital info
After being the first car company in the country to introduce fuel efficiency labels on its demonstrator fleet in 2006, Honda New Zealand is now the first to expand that information to include CO2 emissions and crash ratings.
Well in advance of government moves to introduce mandatory vehicle fuel efficiency labelling, Honda has seized the initiative not once but twice to bring the kiwi car buyer more information at the point of sale.
Every Honda demonstrator currently carries a label displaying three fuel efficiency ratings based on Australian Design Rules, Optimal Local Test results (derived from a standard Auckland-Taupo-Auckland round trip), and figures from the 2004 EnergyWise Rally, plus the emissions standard for that vehicle.
From March 2007, these labels will be replaced with new ones featuring updated fuel efficiency information from the 2006 EnergyWise Rally, a set of Crash Safety Ratings for each model, and CO2 emissions information.
The labels pre-empt expected legislation outlined in a government discussion paper released in November 2006 calling for mandatory fuel efficiency labelling at the point of sale. In the paper, Minster of Energy David Parker says the labelling is designed to “increase the uptake of more fuel-efficient vehicles ... reducing greenhouse gas and harmful tailpipe emissions, and improving energy security”.
The move marks the second time Honda has lead the New Zealand car industry in this area and Managing Director of Honda New Zealand Graeme Seymour says he expects Honda’s decision to motivate other New Zealand car companies to introduce similar labels in the future.
“As the government has pointed out, awareness via this kind of labelling is the first step towards encouraging New Zealanders to consider environmental factors when choosing a new car. Our government has goals with regards to carbon reduction and Honda is keen to be the industry leader in making these goals a reality,” says Mr Seymour.
The inclusion of Crash Safety Ratings on the new labels offers more information at the point of sale than ever before using a variable combination of the independent European, American, and Japanese New Car Assessment Programmes (NCAP). The results of these programmes confirm those achieved in Honda’s world-leading omni-directional crash-test facility in Tochigi, Japan.
Honda is not only highly safety-conscious but also invests heavily in designing and building vehicles that are more environmentally friendly, use less fuel, and produce fewer emissions. On average, the latest Honda vehicles use 30% less fuel and produce a whopping 86% fewer emissions compared with 1995 levels.
“Little wonder then that Honda has performed so well in the AA EnergyWise Rally over the years, including winning the 2006 Supreme Award with the Honda Civic Hybrid,” says Mr Seymour.
Honda is committed to leading the car industry into a more environmentally conscious age, says Mr Seymour.
“The fuel efficiency labels are just one of many environmentally conscious initiatives Honda has implemented internationally since June 1992 when the company adopted the resource-conserving and waste-minimising principles that now guide all aspects of Honda’s vehicle design and the global day-to-day operation of the company,” he says.
The Honda TreeFund programme funds the planting of 10 native trees for every new Honda vehicle sold. The trees act like a natural ecological sponge, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Around 228,000 trees have been funded since the project’s inception in 2004.
Honda is also an ardent supporter and sponsor of GreenFleet, a practical three-step program developed by the Sustainable Business Network that encourages businesses and the community to reduce the harmful impacts of transportation.
For further information:
Visit: www.honda.co.nz/decals
Or contact:
Graeme Meyer
Marketing Manager
Honda New Zealand Limited
Phone: 09 262 3141
Fax: 09 262 3247
Email: