Honda has once again reaffirmed its supremacy in the area of fuel economy and low fuel emissions by claiming 4 of 12 spots in the “Greenest Vehicles of 2006” list of the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy or ACEE. The Honda Insight and the Honda civic GX were at the first and second spot respectively. The Honda Civic and Civic Hybrid also made it to the top twelve greenest vehicles of this year. This is the sixth consecutive year that a Honda vehicle has received the number one rank ACEEE’s study. Other vehicles that made it to this elite list include:

1. Honda Insight (gasoline electric hybrid)
2. Honda Civic GX (natural gas)
3. Toyota Prius (gasoline electric hybrid)
4. Honda Civic Hybrid (gasoline electric hybrid)
5. Toyota Corolla (gasoline)
6. Hyundai Accent (gasoline)
7. Kia Rio/Rio 5 (gasoline)
8. Honda Civic (gasoline)
9. Mazda 3 (gasoline)
10. Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix (gasoline)
11. Chevrolet Cobalt
12. Saturn Ion

ACEEE analyzed and ranked all cars and passenger trucks for the model year 2006 according to fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts, global warming emissions, and estimated fuel expenses. Each car gets a “Green Score” which ACEEE uses in its ranking of each vehicle’s total environmental performance. The top twelve are the greenest vehicles of the year while the bottom twelve are the year’s meanest. Some of the meanest vehicles cited were the Dodge Ram SRT10 pickup, Lamborghini Murcielago, Bentley Arnage, Dodge Durango, and Dodge Ram 1500 pickup.

Honda is already widely recognized for its leadership in environmentally-friendly vehicle technologies. This year’s top greenest vehicle, the Insight, was the first hybrid vehicle introduced in America. Meanwhile, the Civic GX is known as the cleanest-running internal-combustion-engine vehicle ever tested by the EPA” ever since it first drove into the market in 1998.

“This ACEEE acknowledgement speaks directly to the commitment Honda has made to lead the industry in lowering emissions and increasing fuel economy. Combined with our ‘Safety for Everyone’ initiative, Honda continues to set the standard for socially and environmentally-responsible automotive products”, said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda Motor Co.