June 20, 2008 - In a bid to slash fuel consumption, Honda has deployed a fleet of specially designed railcars to transport more of its vehicles to U.S. dealerships by train.

Honda's new Auto-Max railcars, developed in partnership with Greenbrier Companies, carry up to 22 vehicles each and can accommodate both trucks and cars to reduce unused space. An average bi-level railcar can transport only ten trucks, typically of a single vehicle type, Honda notes.

The Auto-Max railcars also last about 50 years - more than twice as long as standard railcars, which typically require a major overhaul after 20 years of service.

"Honda is adopting a holistic approach to minimizing its greenhouse gas emissions, addressing not only the production and on road use of our products, but also new, more fuel-efficient strategies for how we transport our products to dealers," says Dennis Manns, assistant VP of logistics for American Honda. "Rail is the most environmentally responsible method available to move our products."

With the Auto-Max railcars in action, American Honda now transports about 82% of its Honda and Acura brand cars across the U.S. by rail - the highest rail-shipping rate of any automaker, according to Honda.

Honda has spent $7 million over the past year to expand its rail capacity from U.S. manufacturing plants.