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Honda Power Equipment manufactures and markets a range of outdoor power equipment products, including engines, generators, lawnmowers, pumps, snowblowers, tillers and trimmers for commercial, rental and residential applications.

Its comprehensive product line is powered exclusively by environmentally responsible, advanced 4-stroke engines for improved reliability, fuel economy and emissions. The inherent qualities of Honda’s 4-stroke technology reduce operator fatigue related to engine noise and vibration.

Honda Power Equipment, with headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, consists of three distinct operating units: Honda Power Equipment, Honda Marine, and Honda Engines. The division’s products, including engines, generators, lawnmowers, pumps, snowblowers, tillers, trimmers, and marine engines, are produced in Honda plants in the United States and around the world. In calendar year 2007, Honda Power Equipment reached more than 6,000,000 customers worldwide.

Honda Power Equipment

Honda Power Equipment produces more than 60 models in six major product families:

Generators: from 1,000 watts to 10,500 watts in models designed for residential, recreational, and industrial applications.
Lawnmowers: 21-inch swath push-type and self-propelled models for premium residential and commercial gardening applications.
Pumps: a wide variety of general de-watering, multi-purpose, commercial, and submersible models with discharge capacities from 37 to 433 gallons per minute.
Snowblowers: wheel drive, track drive, and lightweight models capable of moving from 46.3 to 71.7 tons of snow per hour.
Tillers: mini-, mid- and rear-tine models.
Trimmers and Edgers: one stick edger and three trimmer models in a variety of trim heads and shafts featuring two engine choices.
All Honda Power Equipment models are designed to be environmentally responsible and technologically advanced and are powered exclusively with Honda 4-stroke engine technology for high fuel efficiency and low emissions. A network of more than 2,200 independent Honda Power Equipment Dealers sells Honda products throughout the United States. Additionally, more than 1,300 Home Depot stores carry lawnmowers, tillers, and snowblowers, and more than 1,000 national rental company outlets offer generators, pumps, and other selected products.

Honda Engines

Honda also designs and produces environmentally advanced 4-stroke engines for its own power equipment products and for use by other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). These models also are appreciably quieter, more fuel-efficient, and easier to start than comparable 2-stroke engines. Honda’s mini 4-stroke model, the GX25, is the lightest and most compact engine of its kind in the world, making it the ideal power source for a variety of handheld power equipment applications. Honda’s newest addition to its engines lineup is the iGX, the revolutionary intelligent computer-controlled general purpose engine that sets an even higher standard for ease of use, value, fuel efficiency, and quiet operation. For the first time in power equipment history, the all-new iGX features an integrated electronic control unit (ECU) that delivers complete drive-by-wire remote control capability and controls key aspects of engine operation. In 2007, Honda produced nearly 24 million engines globally across its product lines.

Honda Engines produces 29 models with more than 350 variations that supply reliable power for applications from pressure washers and hobbyist applications to commercial mowers, lawn tractors, and generators. Honda’s world-class reputation for durability, quality, reliability, and ease of operation under the most extreme conditions also makes Honda Engines the recognized choice for the construction and rental industries.

Honda Marine

For almost 40 years, Honda has produced a line of quiet, fuel efficient, and reliable 4-stroke outboard marine engines. Honda Marine offers the industry’s widest variety of 4-stroke outboards ranging from two to 225 horsepower.

Honda engineers work to ensure that every Honda outboard model sets the standard for fuel efficiency and ease of operation, while staying true to the core Honda attributes of durability, quiet operation, quality, and reliability. Honda’s advanced 4-stroke technology reduces the user’s cost of operation because no oil is needed in combustion.

Honda continually perfects its marine engine line by incorporating technologies from its highly advanced automotive and racing heritage. In order to maximize power output and durability, Honda marine outboards are based on the sophisticated technology of Formula I and Indy cars, racing motorcycles, and street vehicles. A Honda-powered racecar, in fact, captured the 2004 Indy 500 title - further testament to Honda’s leading engine technology. In addition, many of Honda’s marine outboards also include exclusive technological features found in the company’s most popular automobile engines, including the Acura MDX, Accord, CR-V, Element, and Civic.

Manufacturing and R&D

Honda Power Equipment products are produced at 11 Honda manufacturing facilities around the world, including Honda Power Equipment Mfg., Inc., located in Swepsonville, North Carolina. Research, development, and testing activities are conducted at Honda R&D Americas, Inc., also located in Swepsonville, and Honda R&D Co., Ltd., in Japan.

In 2004, Honda Power Equipment Mfg., Inc. (HPE) boosted its general purpose engine production to 1,500,000 engines per year - a significant increase from its prior production - for use by Honda and other OEMs. HPE also produces engines, lawnmowers, and other products using domestic and globally-sourced parts.

In addition to engines, HPE produces the Honda HRX™, Honda HRR, and Honda Commercial lawnmowers. Honda’s North Carolina Research and Development Center is an 11,000 square foot facility established in 1993 that conducts product engineering, prototype development, and testing of power equipment products.

Honda has long been recognized as a leader in the development and application of new technologies designed to reduce the environmental impact of its products through improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

Honda Power Equipment is no exception to this legacy of environmental leadership. All Honda Power Equipment products are powered by advanced-technology, 4-stroke engines that are quieter, more fuel efficient and cleaner burning than the engines powering some competing products.

Corporate Leadership

Honda recognizes that conservation of the natural environment is not only a corporate responsibility but also an important company fundamental. Reducing the burden on the environment at every stage in a product’s life cycle - from research and development through manufacture, sale, usage and disposal - is a goal at the core of Honda’s corporate culture and business philosophy.

Beyond the development of cleaner products, Honda also has sought to reduce the environmental impact of all its activities. Honda’s Green Factory planning concept, launched in 1998, is the foundation of the company’s eco-friendly manufacturing practices, which seek to minimize factory emissions and waste throughout the manufacturing process. Further, Honda’s commitment to environmental responsibility is reflected in its portfolio of ISO certifications. All of the company’s facilities throughout Japan, and its major manufacturing facilities in the rest of the world, have obtained ISO 14001 certification - an internationally recognized set of standards for environmental management systems. In addition, in 1999, Honda launched its Green Dealerships program, the goals of which have been to put Honda dealerships at the forefront of customer and community service as well as acquire ISO 14001 certification, based on environmentally responsible disposal of used cars, improved energy efficiency, and other measures.

Environment and Technology Milestones

Developing cleaner products is not a new mandate at Honda. Coupled with world-class quality and technology, Honda has routinely incorporated environmentally advanced features into all of its products for more than 30 years. A few examples include:

In 1971, Honda introduced the controlled vortex combustion chamber (CVCC) engine. The CVCC was the world’s first automobile engine capable of meeting the 1970 Clean Air Act without the weight, cost, and complexity of a catalytic convertor.
Since 1973, Honda has manufactured only 4-stroke outboard motors, which are approximately 90 percent cleaner, 50 percent more fuel-efficient and 50 percent quieter than typical 4-stroke outboard motors. More important, 4-stroke motors do not release oil directly into the water.
In 1998, Honda became the first company to introduce an entire line of high-performance outboard motors that met the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) year 2006 emission standard.
In 1998, Honda entered the handheld power-equipment market with a noticeably quieter, fuel-efficient and virtually smoke-free trimmer/brush cutter powered by the world’s first 360-degree inclinable, 4-stroke mini-engine.
In 2000, Honda became the first auto company to receive the EPA’s Climate Protection Award for development of the Honda Insight, the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle sold in the United States.
In 2001, Honda became the first automaker in the world to market a fuel cell vehicle certified by the U.S. EPA and the state of California. Honda has also developed its own fuel cell stack that debuted in the 2005 FCX capable of cold weather operation.
In 2003, Honda introduced the HRX217, the first lawnmower in the world that easily enables simultaneous distribution of grass clippings to both the bag and the ground with no addition extra equipment required; the unique, Variable Mowing System (VMS) - or Versamow™ - of the HRX allows the user to select bagging, mulching or any combination of the two configurations by simply rotating a lever called the Clip Director. Whether the user chooses to mulch or to compost or dispose of the bagged clippings, all of the options provided by the HRX are better for the environment than conventional disposal of clippings.
In 2007, One Engine for All: Honda Engines certified to the new, lower CARB 2007 and existing EPA Phase 2 emission requirements by offering 50 state compliant engines only beginning January of 2007. New Honda overall emission levels will be reduced by more than 37 percent. This means that in addition to meeting California emission requirements, Honda engine emission levels will be well below the EPA 2007 requirements. The development of one engine for use in all 50 states continues to reflect Honda’s forward thinking with regards to emission regulations, air quality and the needs of our customers.
Environmental Sponsorships

Honda is a dedicated partner to the following environmental organizations all over the U.S. whose members work and volunteer to protect our planet’s natural resources:

Assateague Coastkeeper, Berlin, Maryland
www.actforbays.org/coastkeeper/coastkeeper.htm
The organization is an on-the-water, privately funded advocate for the coastal bays. The mission of the Coastkeeper Program is to protect the quality of the coastal bays for generations to come.

Cape Lookout Education Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
www://cleec.org/
The group was started by educators to provide a place where people could learn about barrier islands and the importance of protecting this rare natural resource. CLEEC conducts programs about barrier islands and associated marine ecology systems for adults and children.

Catalina Seabass Fund, Avalon, California
www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/directory/resdirectory/t_orgs/thecatalinaseabassfund.html
Catalina Seabass supports research, grow-out and release of California White Seabass in conjunction with the California Department of Fish and Game O.R.H.E.P.

Living Lands & Waters Foundation, East Moline, Illinois
www.livinglandsandwaters.org
The mission of this organization is to aid in the protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment of the nation’s major rivers and their watersheds.

South Riverkeeper, Annapolis, Maryland
www.southriverfederation.net
This is a dedicated group of more than 500 members whose mission is to preserve, protect and restore the South River and its ecosystem through monitoring and assessment, education and enforcement, restoration, outreach and promotion of responsible stewardship.

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Atlanta, Georgia
www.chattahoochee.org
The Riverkeeper’s mission is to advocate and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and watershed, in order to maintain its environmental integrity and to preserve the natural, scenic and recreational character of the river corridor.

We are Here Foundation, St. Clair Shores, Michigan
www.weareherefoundation.com

The mission of this organization is to create cleaner and healthier southeastern Michigan waterways while providing young people with interactive science kits and character- building programs.

The Honda Environment Statement

As a responsible member of society determined to help preserve the global environment, Honda makes concerted efforts to contribute to human health and preservation of the global environment in each phase of its corporate activities and to stay at the forefront of such endeavors.

Editor’s Note:

Honda Power Equipment, a division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., manufactures and markets a complete range of outdoor power equipment, including outboard marine engines, general purpose engines, generators, lawnmowers, pumps, snowblowers, tillers and trimmers for commercial, rental and residential applications. Its comprehensive product line is powered exclusively by environmentally advanced 4-stroke engines.

Circuit: Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile oval) Newton, IA
2007 Winner: Dario Franchitti (Andretti Green Racing Honda) 123.896 mph average speed
Weather: Mostly sunny, warm, 80 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn. St. Driver Team Chassis Laps Average Speed/Notes
1. 3. Dan Wheldon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 250 136.007 mph average, led 61 laps
2. 7. Hideki Mutoh-R Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 250 -0.1430 seconds
3. 8. Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 250 -0.9028 seconds, led 26 laps
4. 1. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 250 -1.2726 seconds
5. 18. A.J. Foyt IV Vision Racing Honda Dallara 250 -1.3564 seconds
6. 6. Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 250 -1.9115 seconds
7. 5. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Honda Dallara 250 -3.9780 seconds
8. 14. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing Honda Dallara 250 -4.4488 seconds
9. 11. Will Power-R KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 250 -5.6158 seconds
10. 16. Graham Rahal-R Newman Haas Lanigan Honda Dallara 250 -7.7886 seconds
11. 23. John Andretti Roth Racing Honda Dallara 250 -8.4639 seconds
12. 20. Justin Wilson-R Newman Haas Lanigan Honda Dallara 250 -8.7225 seconds
13. 13. Ernesto Viso-R HVM Racing Honda Dallara 250 -12.5775 seconds
14. 2. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Honda Dallara 248 Running, led 92 laps
15. 12. Vitor Meira Panther Racing Honda Dallara 248 Running
16. 10. Oriol Servia KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 247 Running
17. 17. Enrique Bernoldi-R Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 242 Running
18. 4. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 211 Did not finish - crash, led 71 laps
19. 24. Mario Moraes-R Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 192 Did not finish - contact
20. 21. Jaime Camara-R Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 133 Did not finish - handling
21. 19. Darren Manning A.J. Foyt Racing Honda Dallara 94 Did not finish - handling
22. 15. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 78 Did not finish - handling
23. 9. Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Honda Dallara 38 Did not finish - crash
24. 22. Milka Duna Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 26 Did not finish - handling
R - Series Rookie

Birthday Boy Wheldon Wins Iowa

Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dan Wheldon celebrated his 30th birthday in the best way possible for an IndyCar driver, by winning Sunday’s Iowa Corn 250 with a calculated gamble on fuel strategy, followed by a determined drive to the checkers.

Wheldon, who ran in the lead pack all day, was one of three front-runners who elected not to pit with the rest of the field under caution on Lap 190. Andretti Green Racing’s Hideki Mutoh and Danica Patrick also elected to stay out and conserve fuel to the finish.

It was a gamble that paid off as Wheldon held off the advances of Mutoh and Marco Andretti by just 14 thousandths of a second in one of the closest green-flag finishes of the season. IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon put on a late race charge to finish fourth, while Vision Racing A.J. Foyt IV scored a season-high fifth place. Battling understeer in the closing laps, Patrick rounded out the top six finishers.

A total of 26 Honda-powered drivers ran 8,990 miles of practice, qualifying and racing this weekend without a single engine-related failure reported.

Two other potential race victors - Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves - combined to lead 163 of the 250 laps, but neither was a factor at the finish. Team Penske’s Castroneves led a race-high 92 laps, but faded late in the race and then had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a deflating rear tire, finishing two laps off the pace in 14th. Kanaan led 71 laps, and appeared to be Wheldon’s strongest challenger in the late laps, but spun and made hard contact with the Turn 2 wall on lap 212 to end his day, fortunately without injury.

Despite recent events in the region, including a series of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, a full house of more than 40,000 fans turned out to pack the grandstands at the .875-mile Iowa Speedway tri-oval, located some 40 miles east of Des Moines.

Next week, the IndyCar Series goes to the east coast for another short track event, at the 7/8ths mile Richmond International Raceway on June 28.

IndyCar Series Drivers’ Championship Standings (after 9 of 18 races):
1. Scott Dixon 316 points (3 wins) 6. Ryan Briscoe 195 points (1 win)
2. Helio Castroneves 268 7. Danica Patrick 192 (1 win)
3. Dan Wheldon 267 (2 wins) 8. Marco Andretti 189
4. Tony Kanaan 216 9. Will Power-R 169 (1 win)
5. Hideki Mutoh-R 199 10. Ed Carpenter 160

Dan Wheldon (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started 3rd, finished 1st, 2nd victory of 2008 and 15th career IndyCar win: “I must say first and foremost, it was an amazing turnout today, when you consider all the devastation that has taken place in Iowa this year. The crowd was unbelievable. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have suffered with the storms and floods. Hopefully they all enjoyed the show today and it took their minds off their problems for just a little while. I thought it was a great weekend for the fans and our team. We had a bit of misfortune yesterday when I got caught up in Bruno [Junqueira's] crash, but the guys rolled out the spare car and it was just fantastic. Maybe not perfect on new tires, but it would just get faster and faster as each stint went on, and the Honda engine had great power and fuel economy as always.”

Hideki Mutoh (#27 Formula Dream Andretti Green Racing Honda) Started 7th, finished 2nd, career best IndyCar finish, leads the series Rookie points and moves up to fifth in the drivers’ championship standings: “I’m very pleased. The final laps were exciting for everyone. I didn’t want to block Marco [Andretti], who is my teammate, but I didn’t want [Dan] Wheldon to get away either, and I tried very hard to pass him. It was a great finish for the team, and I hope to do even better in the future.”

Marco Andretti (#26 Andretti Green Racing Honda) Started 8th, finished 3rd: “It was a completely different race from last year. Our car worked well all day, especially in traffic, and there was a lot of good, hard, clean racing today. It had to be good for the fans, and it was definitely good from the cockpit! This rookie [teammate Hideki Mutoh] is good. Hideki was definitely ‘on it’ today and he deserved second place. It was a pretty good day for Andretti Green Racing, I feel like we’re improving with every race.”

Roger Griffiths (Race Team Technical Leader, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “It was great to see such a large and enthusiastic crowd here today in light of recent events in this area, and I think we gave them a pretty exciting race today. I’m also happy for Hideki Mutoh, as his second place was the best result in IndyCar Series history for a Japanese driver. Previously, it was a Toyota driver (Tora Takagi with a third place finish), so it’s much better to have a Honda driver achieve this goal! On the engine front, it was a relatively trouble-free weekend for us, and everyone who finished the race today will be using the same engine next week at Richmond, which is good news as we begin this swing of six consecutive race weekends.”

HOUSTON – Whether the idea of a perfect Fourth of July celebration includes a sneak peek at hot concept cars and trucks, hanging out with NASCAR’s finest 200 mph race cars, enjoying a brilliant fireworks display, or kicking back with friends and family to the sounds of electrifying live entertainment, Chevrolet and the City Of Houston have everything covered for “Chevy’s Freedom Over Texas” July 4 at Eleanor Tinsley Park.

“Chevrolet has proudly held the title sponsorship to Freedom Over Texas for four years, and we’re coming back to Houston again and bringing an even bigger celebration,” said Jay Allen, Chevrolet marketing manager for GM’s South Central region. “We are excited to present the Chevy music stage which will be ignited with three phenomenal female country music artists, as well as provide fantastic concept cars and a host of fun-filled, interactive activities for the entire family.”

Festival-goers can experience some of Chevy’s hottest 2008 cars and trucks, as well as show-stopping concept cars like the Bumblebee Camaro – star of the 2007 summer blockbuster movie Transformers. The Cobalt Wide Body and the Time Attack Supercharged Cobalt SS with its race record-setting pedigree round out Chevy’s sizzling concept vehicle display.

For race fans, Chevy is showcasing Team Chevy’s Championship-winning authentic NASCAR race cars, including: Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet; Jeff Gordon’s #24 DuPont Chevrolet; and Kevin Harvick’s #29 Shell Oil Chevrolet. If simply checking out these race cars isn’t enough, festival attendees can climb into one of the Chevy Racing Simulators and race their favorite NASCAR drivers at speeds and motion that simulate up to 200 mph on Texas Motor Speedway’s 1.5 mile oval track.

With fuel prices soaring, Chevy’s Alternative Fuels display is sure to catch some attention. From the Tahoe Hybrid to the Malibu, Chevrolet offers plenty of gas-friendly driving options to learn about. The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid – which was recently named Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year® – is one of two all-new hybrid models for 2008 (the other being the Malibu Hybrid sedan) featuring the affordable GM Hybrid System.

This year, Chevy’s Main Stage will play host to three of country music’s hottest female entertainers: Jo Dee Messina, Miranda Lambert, and Sara Evans.

Sara Evans, a Missouri native, began her career singing country music with her family’s band when she was five years old. The award-winning artist has won numerous accolades including the Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year, the Country Music Association’s Video of the Year for “Born to Fly,” and 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year in the R&R Reader’s Poll. Her hits include “I could not ask for more,” “Born to Fly,” and “No Place That Far.”

A small-town girl from Texas, Miranda Lambert burst onto the music scene as a finalist in the 2003 season of the NASHVILLE STAR television series. She didn’t win the show, but did win a recording deal with Columbia Nashville. Lambert hasn’t looked back since and debuted her latest album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to rave reviews leading to her nomination for CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and has received several CMT Music Award nominations.

Kicking off the show is award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist, Jo Dee Messina. Honored by The Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music and The Grammy Awards, Jo Dee was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week #1 songs from the same album. Her newest album, entitled Delicious Surprises, includes hits like “My Give A Damn’s Busted,” and “It Gets Better.”

When the concerts come to a close at approximately 9:30 p.m., eyes will turn skyward for an extraordinary fireworks display. Perfectly set to a selection of patriotic songs to rock ‘n’ roll hits and classic bestsellers, this year’s show will be the largest to date.

Chevy’s Freedom Over Texas will begin when gates open at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 4. Admission for the festival, which benefits the Central Houston Civic Improvement, Inc., is $6.00 at the gate for adults; children under 10 are free.