2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Launches With Under $500 Lease Price
WASHINGTON – The 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell hydrogen sedan will be priced around $60,000 with a “targeted” monthly lease of under $500 when it launches at select Honda dealerships in California before the end of 2016, American Honda Motor Co. said on Thursday.
Honda spokesman Sage Marie told Edmunds the dealerships have not been named yet, but they will be located in Los Angeles and Orange counties, along with the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento.
Formal pricing, including the car’s destination charge, will be released later.
“The company will start by leasing vehicles and expects to move to retail sales with increased volumes and market coverage coincident with increasing vehicle supplies and the growing hydrogen refueling station network,” Honda said.
The five-passenger Honda Clarity Fuel Cell targets the 2016 Toyota Mirai sedan and Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell SUV.
A new Honda plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the same platform as the Clarity Fuel Cell is scheduled to launch by 2018.
There are just 14 public hydrogen filling stations in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
But Honda is working to build additional hydrogen refueling stations in California, committing $13.8 million to FirstElement Fuel in the effort.
Car shoppers who are interested in getting in line for the Clarity Fuel Cell are urged to sign up at HondaCars.com/Honda-FCV.
Edmunds says: Honda’s Clarity Fuel Cell is competitively priced against the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, both of which are offered for a $499 monthly lease payment. So the battle is on to win environmentally conscious car shoppers.
