Japanese motor manufacturer Honda is to showcase its third-generation FCX fuel cell vehicle at the Los Angeles automotive show.

An updated version of the emission-free FCX, first introduced in 2002, will appear at the show early this December, Inside Line reports.

The luxury five-seat sedan, unveiled last year in its concept form at the Tokyo Motor Show, will be installed with the latest hydrogen fuel cell powertrain technology. Honda expects to commercialise the vehicle before 2010.

More than a dozen of the compact hatchback versions of the FCX, similar in size to a Civic, have been leased to local governments and families in the US since 2004.

The fuel cell vehicles, capable of up to 62 miles per gallon when driven in the city, have been leased in order to receive feedback on their performance in the real world.

Though their mass production is far from a reality, FCXs have already received high acclaim from the American Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board for their green credentials.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd