Honda Accord hybrid rated 50 mpg in city driving

• Beats highway rating of top rival Ford Fusion by 3 mpg
• Production begins today at Marysville%2C Ohio%2C plant
• Pricing still to be announced

As Honda's production of the 2014 Accord hybrid model starts today in Marysville, Ohio, the company announced the car will have bragging rights for the car's EPA rating in city driving: 50 miles per gallon.

That nice round number makes it top dog -- in the city at least -- among its midsize sedan rivals: Ford Fusion hybrid is 47, Toyota Camry hybrid is 43 and Hyundai Sonata is 36.

It's still an impressive number but more of a mixed bag if you look at the highway and combined ratings. And that assumes you don't -- we don't -- as a midsize rival the near-midsize, but quirky and less comfortable Toyota Prius hatchback.

The full tale of the tape:

Accord hybrid is EPA-rated 50 city, 45 highway, 47 combined. Fusion clocks in at 47/47/47. Camry is 43/39/41. Sonata trails at 36/40/38. Prius hybrid hatchback, if mpg's are your top priority, is 51/48/50.

The Accord hybrid, based on the good bones of the redesigned-for-2013 Honda midsize flagship, is due on sale next month. "For customers looking for a 50 mpg rated 4-door sedan, there is no other choice than the 2014 Accord Hybrid," boasts Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations at American Honda, in a statement.

Pricing for the hybrid has not been announced, though will fall somewhere between the conventional Accord -- starting at $21,955 plus shipping and EPA-rated 27/36/30 -- and the Accord plug-in hybrid -- $39,780 plus shipping and rated 47/46/46 as a hybrid and 115 mpg-equivalent running on the plug-in charge only.

The Accord hybrid uses Honda's two-motor, lithium ion battery hybrid system for larger vehicles -- Sport Hybrid Intelligent Multi Mode Drive in Honda-speak -- with much of the system shared with the plug-in hybrid. The gas engine is a 2-liter Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder.

And it has some design cues that will signal to your neighbors that you got the hybrid -- hybrid badging, a blue-accented grille and light lenses, LED daytime running lights, its own wheel design and a rear spoiler.