Honda CRX Hybrid

[TSX69]

Honda Planning sub-Fit CRX Hybrid? (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-planning-sub-fit-crx-hybrid.html)
When Honda reinvents the sporty CRX for the 2011 model year, it will reportedly feature a hybrid powertrain under its hood, rather than a small, rev-happy motor like the first CRX, which was sold in the U.S. through 1991.

Winding Road reports that the reinvented CRX has been pushed back from '09 to '11 and that Honda's product planners have decided to make the updated CRX more like the now-defunct Insight. They also report that neither the Small Hybrid Sports Coupe concept nor the REMIX conceptwas a preview of the upcoming CRX, which will be shown in October at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The original CRX was sold in two generations in the U.S. from 1984-91 and it featured 1.5-liter four-cylinder engines that ranged from 58 to 108 horsepower. The CRX truly was diminutive, measuring just 148 inches from bumper to bumper. The Fit, Honda's smallest car currently sold in the U.S., is ten inches longer but has four doors. The Fit isn't available with a hybrid powertrain.

[TSX69]

http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/Honda/concepts/CR_Z/2007_Honda_CR_Z_Concept_small.jpg
Honda CR-Z Concept (more pics) (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/concept-cars/honda-cr-z-hybrid-concept/#more-3729)
One of the new concept cars Honda will unveil at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show is the CR-Z sports compact, a possible preview of a replacement for the popular Honda CRX. The official tagline for the concept is “a next-generation lightweight sports car equipped with a Honda petrol-electric hybrid system” but telltale signs this is a likely precursor to a new CRX is the familiar profile and glass rear end. It doesn’t hurt that both cars share a very similar name as well.

Key features of the new concept include the over-sized grill and aggressive wedge shape, centrally mounted dual exhaust pipes and a rear glass hatch. Other design details included in the CR-Z are the electronic side-mirrors, LED headlights and 19in alloys.

For the interior, designers attempted to combine a sporty look with something that remains modern and high-tech. The result was the adoption of a mesh material for most of the surfaces with plenty of glass and LEDs laid out across the instrument panel.

[gerardo]

I though that new SI hatchback (not available in the US) was the new CRX?
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j50/many88/RevNews129.jpg

[TSX69]

http://i.usatoday.net/money/_photos/2007/10/09/hondax-large.jpg

Honda Will Present Hybrid @ Tokyo Show (http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-10-09-honda-hybrid_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip)
TOKYO (AP) — Cars don't have to sacrifice looks to be environmentally friendly — they can be muscular and stylish, too.

That's the message Honda (HMC) hopes to send at this month's Tokyo auto show with its new gas-electric hybrid sports car CR-Z.

"This is something rivals can't offer," Tetsuji Morikawa, a Honda Motor engineer, said of the CR-Z, whose sales date is promised for the "near future."

The vehicle has maintained "the essence of the sports car" while still delivering good mileage and less pollution, he said.

Hybrid vehicles tend to be bulkier than sleek sports cars because of the size and complexity of the hybrid systems, which include a battery, motor, engine, converter and other parts. They're usually not known for their torque, acceleration, handling and innovative design.

The CR-Z comes with a new hybrid system developed by Honda whose breakthroughs allowed designers to get around such restrictions to achieve its lean cutting-edge look, said Morikawa, while declining to give details about the hybrid system and the vehicle.

The model will be on display at the biannual Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public Oct. 27 in the Tokyo suburb of Chiba.

Japan's No. 2 automaker already sells the hybrid Civic but discontinued the hybrid Accord and hybrid Insight. It has promised a new hybrid in 2009.

Interest in hybrids is high among the world's automakers amid concerns about global warming and rising oil prices.

Japanese rival Toyota Motor (TM) has emerged the leader in the technology, having sold more than a million hybrids globally over the last decade.

Honda, which has sold about 220,000 hybrids worldwide so far, is eager to make its stamp on hybrids by showing how its reputation for sporty cars will also work for hybrids.

[tsx 2 nv]

removed. i should have read the article first :P

[TSX69]

Honda CR-Z Concept to Make Production (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-cr-z-future.html)
Honda just unveiled its CR-Z Concept at Tokyo Motor Show, but has already announced that a variation of the car will make production. The Japanese automaker failed to mention any details about the production vehicle, but did indicate that it would follow the concept's green yet sporty intentions.

Powered by a gasoline-hybrid engine, Honda says CR-Z stands for 'Compact Renaissance Zero.' However Honda explains how they ended up with the CR-Z name, the car is an obvious successor to the popular CRX hatchback of the 1980s and early 90s.

Honda calls the CR-Z a "lightweight sports car," indicating that it will have the performance to backup its sporty looks — highlighted by an over-sized grill and twin front air ducts. Honda failed to release any specific information about the show or production car, but it's believed that the CR-Z shares its powertrain with the current Civic Hybrid.

The CR-Z's interior follows the design theme of "Hi-tech and Sporty," achieved by a very futuristic instrument panel. Honda also designed the interior to seem very airy and spacious by using mesh material on a simple framework.

[TSX69]

Honda Hybrid Sports Coupe Aimed @ European Market (http://www.motorauthority.com/news/coupes/honda-hybrid-sports-coupe-aimed-at-european-market/#more-4823)
The U.S. may be the biggest market for hybrid cars but Honda’s next petrol-electric model will be designed primarily to suit the European market. Both the styling and engineering of the new model, tipped to be a small hybrid sports coupe, will be influenced heavily by European tastes and the car’s final development work will be handled by a team in Offenbach, Germany.

Honda gave us a preview of the car at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show with the unveiling of the CR-Z concept (pictured), and at the following Detroit Auto Show Honda boss Takeo Fukui said a sports coupe based on the CR-Z would enter production in late 2009 alongside two other dedicated hybrid vehicles. Speaking with Automotive News, Honda UK product manager Mark Turner revealed to reporters that the new hybrid sports coupe would only cost about €25,000 and that Honda initially consulted with European designers as far back as 2005.

The next hybrid model from Honda that we will get a preview of is a new global model, which is set to appear in concept form at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Expected to go on sale in 2009 as well, the new global hybrid will be smaller than the current Civic, and will cost roughly two-thirds as much. In Europe, that will translate to a price of €16,000 to €20,000 compared to the Civic Hybrid’s starting price of €23,800.

Both cars will feature a mild hybrid system, using an electric motor to aid a petrol engine and reclaim energy under braking. The only drawback is that mild hybrids can’t drive on electric power alone.