Hyperdrive
Honda Goes All In on Electric in Stark Contrast to Toyota
- Carmaker to end long history with gasoline engines by 2040
- Strategy also includes its traditional strength of motorcycles
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Honda Motor Co. has become the first of Japan’s automakers to state publicly it will phase out sales of gasoline-powered cars completely, setting 2040 as the goal and giving newly minted Chief Executive Officer Toshihiro Mibe a once-in-a-career chance to put his stamp on a firm that can trace its lineage back 84 years.
“It’s a very bold target,” said Yachiyo Tanaka, an analyst at automotive research company Fourin. “Honda has pledged to pull ahead of other automakers by introducing the latest technologies.”