The $550 million Honda plant in Greensburg, Indiana started
producing Honda Civics last fall to much acclaim. The Honda Civic qualifies as
an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) and goes beyond the Environmental
Protection Agency’s minimal emissions standards. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana
LLC is taking the next step in sustainable transportation with the first run of
2009 Honda Civic GXs to roll off the assembly line at Greensburg.
The Honda Civic GX is powered by compressed natural gas
(CNG) and continues the automaker’s commitment to decrease tailpipe emissions.
Honda lauds the GX’s 90% reduction of tailpipe emissions compared to
traditional cars as well as its qualification as an Inherently Low Emissions
Vehicle (ILEV) by the EPA. The automaker’s new plant will be responsible for
meeting customer demand in all 50 states, making the Civic GX the only CNG
vehicle available throughout the United States.
Honda’s signature style, comfort and simple design return
with the Civic GX. The CNG version of Honda’s most popular model features a
five-speed automatic transmission and a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that
produces 113 horsepower. The Honda Civic GX has a driving range of 220 miles,
which is less substantial than the gas-powered Civic due to limited CNG tank
space. The EPA projects that the Honda Civic GX reaches 24 miles per gallon in
city driving and 36 miles per gallon on the highway.
The Honda plant in Greensburg, Indiana is nearly as
remarkable as the Civic GX in terms of its sustainable practices. Honda’s
traditional auto plants in Indiana and Ohio were unable to handle the Civic GX
due to special equipment requirements. The Greensburg plant features a CNG
fueling center as well as a fuel tank assembly unit to finish the Civic GX. The
engines used in the plant’s Honda Civics are created at a nearby plant in Anna, Ohio.
Honda employs 1,000 workers to assemble and finish the Civic
GX in an area of Indiana hit particularly hard by the recession. The Greensburg
plant is putting blue-collar workers in a position to build the cars of the
future in a sustainable working environment. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana LLC
built the Greensburg facility to be a zero waste-to-landfill facility, further burnishing its eco-friendly reputation. Honda’s
examples of sustainable production and zero-emission vehicles should not be
ignored by American automakers still stuck in the past.
