Honda brings a flex-fuel motorcycle to the market with its CG150 TITAN MIX ES. Honda claims the small-displacement motorcycle’s Mix Fuel Injection System makes the new model the “first motorcycle in the world to be equipped with flexible-fuel technology.”
The flex-fuel moniker will allow the new TITAN to take advantage of bio-ethanol fuels. And in Brazil this is significant, as the South American nation is a world leader in utilizing bio-fuel to supplement gasoline for transportation energy. Honda cites “approximately 90% “ of new cars in Brazil sport flex-fuel technology.
Brazil’s bio-ethanol fuel is made by harvesting sugar cane. Touted by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s ethanol industry has been both praised and criticized. Supporters point to job creation and energy independence from ethanol, meanwhile critics say the use of food sources for fuel leads to rising food costs.
The CG150 TITAN MIX ES will be sold in Brazil by Honda subsidiary Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda, and the Japanese giant expects 200,000 units sold annually. Honda is a juggernaut in the Brazilian motorcycle market, the Japanese firm accounting for 1.326 million of the 1.91 million new motorcycle registrations in 2008.
The TITAN is expected in Brazilian dealerships by the end of March with an MSRP of 6340 Real ($2,700).
