TORRANCE, CA – American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced that Ron Yerxa and Annette Ballester took delivery of their hydrogen fuel cell-powered FCX Clarity on July 25 at Honda of Santa Monica, one of three dealerships in Southern California that are part of the first fuel cell vehicle dealership network.

Yerxa and Ballester are the world's first FCX Clarity customers and the first of approximately 200 customers who will lease the vehicle in the United States and Japan over the next three years, with the vast majority of vehicles being leased in Southern California.

"The FCX Clarity lease program is one more step toward meeting the societal goals of climate stability, renewable energy supplies, and zero-emissions transportation," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "With this key step, we are advancing toward the goal of broader commercialization. Establishing a dedicated sales network and service infrastructure provides customers with the best balance of convenience and the highest level of satisfaction."

Significant advances over Honda's previous generation FCX include a 25 percent-increase in combined fuel economy to 72 miles/kg-H2* (74 mpg GGE <miles per gasoline gallon equivalent>) and a greater than 30 percent increase in driving range up to 280 miles*.

The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle. Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, the vehicle's only emission is water, and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile.

For more information or downloadable high-resolution images of the FCX Clarity and other Honda vehicles, visit www.hondanews.com. For more information on the FCX Clarity lease program, visit fcx.honda.com.

*Based on official 2008 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.