Honda Earth Dreams Engine Debuting in New Accord, Acuras

Honda is developing a new line of engines it calls Earth Dreams, which will debut in the redesigned 2014 Accord, and eventually find its way throughout the entire Honda and Acura lineup.

The new engines use direct injection and double-overhead cams to offer up to 10 percent more fuel economy, as well as 5 percent more power. The 4-cylinder engines gain a new VTEC arrangement with an Atkinson cycle, lower load cam and extensive friction reduction technologies. One V6 will offered, which will net an estimated power output of 310 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque.

The Earth Dreams engine lineup will debut in the new Accord this fall, and will be mated to a CVT transmission. Honda is sticking in CVTs across its lineup of volume consumer cars, but the brands performance cars and off-road vehicles will retain regular geared transmissions.

As both the Honda and Acura lineups are redesigned over the coming years, each car will adopt an Earth Dreams engine in a similar philosophy to what Mazda is doing with its new SkyActiv engines.