[DVSNCYNIKL]

This is what I found:

Nissan North America Inc. and American Honda Motor Co. may soon find themselves head-to-head in a horsepower war. Tom Elliott, American Honda’s executive vice president of auto operations, hinted that the next Honda Accord will top 240 hp -- the amount of horsepower behind the 2002 Altima with a V-6. The next Accord is coming in fall.

He spoke in a panel discussion at the Automotive News Brand Marketing Seminar here last week. "Two hundred forty is not enough," Elliott said to panel member Jed Connelly, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan North America. "We’ve been holding back."

Nissan raised the bar recently with the 2002 Altima, which arrives in September. The four-cylinder model will generate 180 hp, compared with 155 in the current Altima.

The four-cylinder 2001 Accord generates 150 hp; the V-6 version generates 200. "We’ve got to remember that, while we’re in the transportation business, we’re also in the entertainment business," Elliott said.

Because gasoline prices are rising, perhaps the times are not ideal for a horsepower war. Asked about a potential spike in fuel prices, Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., said car shoppers would not see gasoline prices reaching $3 per gallon as a "a valid reason" to buy more fuel-efficient models.

He said, "Consumers don’t think its permanent."

I hope it does come true. I don't care about the price of gas at that point.