United States safety regulators and Honda Motor Co. officials confirmed earlier this week that a woman who died in a Los Angeles-area car crash last year was the eighth person killed by faulty airbags produced by Japan-based Takata Corp.
The victim died of neck and head injuries when the driver's air bag in her 2001 Honda Civic released metal shrapnel because it inflated with too much force, Fox News reports.
Honda officials announced earlier this month that they are pulling the plug on hybrid and compressed natural gas versions of its flagship Honda Civic car. The company also revealed the temporary suspension of plug-in versions of the Honda Accord.
The decision to hold back production on those models relates to market demands for natural gas vehicles and consumer purchasing power.
"We gave it a long run, and have tried and tried and tried," Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel told USA Today.
"But, that market outside of taxi cabs, commercial vehicles,...is not experiencing the uptick we expected."
Although Honda's CNG Civic model has been widely regarded as one of the most fuel-efficient and cost-effective natural gas cars on the market, company officials still believe it has not made a strong presence in the mainstream market.
