Here's Honda's first official photos of the production version of their ninth generation Accord in both four door sedan and two door coupe body styles. The automaker had previewed the model with a thinly disguised concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January this year.
"This car is the most sculpted and the most dynamic Accord yet," stated Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president of product planning for American Honda. "Following Honda's long-held philosophy of 'man maximum, machine minimum,' the beautiful exterior evolved from a focus on interior space and the needs of the people inside it."
Previously, the Japanese carmaker had revealed that the 2013 model will introduce several novelties including forward collision warning technology, a lane departure warning system, blind spot detection, and a standard rearview back-up camera for parking.
Honda also said that the new Accord will be lighter than the current model and that the reduction in size and weight will help improve its handling and driving dynamics.
These include the application of a hybrid powertrain linking a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit to an electric Continuously Variable Transmission (E-CVT) and a 120kW (161Hp) electric motor fed by a 6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. The two motor hybrid system moves through three modes, all electric - gasoline electric and direct drive.
In all-electric mode, it will have a city driving range of approximately 16-24 km and a top speed of 100km/h. The battery can be fully recharged in less than four hours using a 120-volt, outlet and less than 1.5 hours using a 240-volt charger.
The other two powerplants for the 2013 Accord are a new 2.4-liter direct-injected (DI) engine delivering more than 181 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque and a range-topping and re-engineered 3.5-liter V6 i-VTEC with more power and torque than the current version.
The 2.4-liter four-cylinder unit will be paired to a 6-speed manual transmission or a new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), while the V6 will be available with a choice of a new 6-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual gearbox.
