American Honda Motor Co. Inc. announced that dealers in Utah will have the option of selling the natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX to customers on a retail basis, beginning July 30. There are eight dealers in Utah, two of which are already selling the Civic GX as a fleet vehicle.

"The expansion of Honda's Civic GX retail program is an expression of our commitment to natural gas vehicle technology," said Elmer Hardy, senior manager of Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sales & Marketing. "Honda seeks market opportunities for the Civic GX where strong natural gas refueling infrastructure exists, and we continue to see its promise as a clean, sustainable, domestically-sourced alternative fuel."

The Civic GX is the only OEM-built, CNG-powered passenger car assembled in America. The Civic GX is built on the same assembly line as the gasoline-powered Civic 4-door models. The Civic GX became available to retail customers in the state of California in 2006 and in the state of New York in 2007. Currently, 42 dealers in California and nine in New York have added Retail Sales Addendums to their Honda Sales Agreements that enable them to sell the Civic GX on a retail basis. When including dealerships that sell fleet vehicles, there are currently a total of 129 Civic GX dealers in 32 states.

Civic GX owners may be eligible for up to a $4,000 federal tax credit and a $3,000 Utah state tax credit. Utah leads the country in natural gas refueling infrastructure per capita and has the least expensive natural gas in the United States with prices averaging 99 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) at dedicated fueling stations.

The Civic GX achieves an EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy of 24/36** miles per gasoline-gallon equivalent and is the only vehicle certified by the EPA to meet both Federal Tier 2-Bin 2 and Inherently Low Emission Vehicle (ILEV) zero evaporative emission certification standards.

The 2009 Honda Civic GX is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle ever tested by the EPA, and for the fifth straight year, earned the top spot on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's (ACEEE) "greenest vehicles of 2009."

Natural gas-powered vehicles are part of Honda's energy strategy to offer the best-available technology for the reduction of air pollution and petroleum dependence and serve as an enabling technology for hydrogen fuel cell cars in the future. The Civic GX is assembled in Greensburg, Indiana.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection.

* EPA Tier-2, Bin-2 and ILEV certification as of May 2008
**Based on 2010 EPA mileage estimates, reflecting new EPA fuel economy methods beginning with 2008 models. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.