Honda Car Forum

Las Vegas - Nov 05 —
American Honda today unveiled nine
performance vehicles at the 2002 Specialty Equipment Market
Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas where it also
announced a
new Factory Performance (FP) package for the 2003 Accord
Coupe and
sponsorship support in various racing series.

Headlining show vehicles include a specially constructed
ultra
high performance 2003 Honda Accord Concept Coupe and 2003
Civic Si
Concept, RealTime Racing's new Acura RSX Type-S SCCA Pro
racecar,
Adam Saruwatari's Civic Si Pro Drag car, plus Honda and Acura
vehicles modified by some of the biggest names in the
performance
aftermarket.

"The ideas and concepts displayed at SEMA explore new
approaches
to maximizing the potential built into every Honda and Acura
platform," said Jim Roach, American Honda Vice President of
the Parts
Division. "People who drive and modify our cars understand that
Honda
and Acura products integrate an extra measure of performance
into
every vehicle as part of the company's design and engineering
philosophy."

American Honda also announced the expansion of available
Factory
Performance packages through Honda Accessories with the
addition of
an Accord Coupe FP package. The Accord Coupe FP package
provides high
performance suspension components, 17-inch wheels and
tires, a full
body kit and FP trim. When it goes on sale in early 2003, the
Accord
Coupe FP package will join the Civic EX Coupe FP package in
the Honda
Factory Performance lineup. Acura currently offers a similar FP
package for the RSX Type-S. All FP packages are engineered by
Honda
and carry the same warranty as the rest of the vehicle.

Six cars total debuted at SEMA for the Honda division.
Designed by
Honda R & D Americas, the 2003 Honda Accord Concept Coupe
makes its
world debut and features a 300-horsepower V-6 engine with a
semi-manual six-speed transmission with paddle shifter, a
complete
aero package, wide body kit, race suspension and lightweight
prototype parts. The Civic Si Concept accents the car's class
leading
potential for ultimate performance. Another Civic Si, modified by
King Motorsports with Mugen aftermarket equipment, delivers
intense
performance designed for the street and the track. A third Civic
Si,
a pro drag racing car driven by Adam Saruwatari, made its world
debut. The Honda Element on display showcases some of the
accessories
that will be available when Element goes on sale in
December.

Acura brings three models to SEMA delivering in the category
of
ultimate high performance - the RealTime Racing Acura RSX
Type-S that
competes in the Sports Car Club of America's SPEED World
Challenge
Touring Car Championship, an RSX Type-S equipped with the
newly-introduced Factory Performance package, and a
supercharged CL
Type-S with a six-speed manual transmission and a prototype
aerodynamic body kit.

In addition, American Honda's racing contingency
sponsorship plans
for 2003 include continued support for Racers Against Street
Racing
(RASR) in various racing series including the Sports Car Club of
America (SCCA) and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The
contingency sponsorship program awards Honda and Acura
racers from
amateur to professional ranks that win races and show their
support
for RASR, a SEMA organization dedicated to promoting
alternatives to
street racing.

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