Market Cars

2010 Honda CR-Z Hybrid Coupe Production Model Leaked Online

The official Japanese domestic market brochure for the 2010 Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe has surfaced online revealing the hybrid coupe in full production glory. The scanned photos show that in terms of exterior and interior design, little, if anything, has changed from the prototype version of the CR-Z which made its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show in September.

Furthermore, we get the chance to see the hybrid-coupe fitted with several dealer options such as an aluminum trim exterior package, but most importantly, the leaflet provides us with engine specs, and preliminary performance and fuel economy figures.

The brochure confirms that the CR-Z's hybrid drivetrain will comprise of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol unit and an electric motor, with power being delivers to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

From what we gather (more accurate translations are welcome), the petrol engine delivers an output of 114ps (84kW or 113 HP) at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 145Nm (107 lb-ft) at 4,800 rpm, while the electric motor, 14ps (10kW or 13.4 HP) at 1,500 rpm and 78Nm (58 lb-ft) at 1,000 rpm.

The result is a not so sporty 0-100 km/h (62mph) sprint time of 9.7 seconds. The leaflet also makes word of a 25.0 km/lt (58.8mpg US or 4.0 lt/100km) and 22.5 km/lt (52.9 mpg US or 4.5 lt/100km) fuel consumption, but we don't know what the numbers refer to.

In comparison, the Honda Insight hybrid is equipped with 1.3-liter petrol engine and a 10HP electric motor producing a combined output of 98HP and 123 lb-ft, for a sprint time of 12.5 seconds and an combined fuel economy of 41mpg US (40mpg city, 43mpg highway).

The new CR-Z hybrid will go on sale in Japan in February of 2010, with Europe and North America following shortly after.

[Source: Minkara]

Posted on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 / 0 nhận xét / Read More

Honda CR-Z Hybrid Sports Coupe

The CR-X lives on to tell another tale, or at least sort of. The spiritual successor to Honda's much missed small coupe, the gasoline-electric hybrid CR-Z, will be unveiled in near production form at next month's Tokyo Motor Show. Despite the fact that CR-Z carries a concept moniker, it's obvious that only a few changes will be made to the production model that is scheduled to be launched in Japan in February 2010 and the rest of the world sometime after.
At a first glance, the so-called "CR-Z Concept 2009" doesn't appear to be that different from the original CR-Z concept car that was displayed at the 2007 Tokyo show.

However, as you can see for yourselves in the photos that we've attached below, a closer look reveals that Honda's designers thoroughly reworked the sport coupe's front and rear ends as well as the profile.
Not surprisingly, the pre-production CR-Z's interior has nothing in common with the 2007 concept model, but sans the sportier trim, the dashboard's styling does bring to mind the Insight...

As of yet, there's nothing official on the CR-Z's hybrid powertrain, but recent reports suggest that Honda will ditch the Insight's 1.3-liter petrol engine for a more powerful 1.5-liter unit combined with a more potent electric motor.

Posted on Monday, December 21, 2009 / 0 nhận xét / Read More

Honda Skydeck MPV with scissor doors

Honda’s new SKYDECK concept can seat 6 people in a three-row passenger configuration . Honda’s last 6-seater was the Honda Edix which has now been phased out, but that MPV had its 6 seats in a two row configuration, similiar to what Fiat did for their Multipla.

The styling cues are quite obviously inspired by the CR-Z, which leads me to believe this kind of look might become quite commonplace on future Hondas. The front doors have a scissor hinge like a Lamborghini while the rear door is of the rearward-sliding variety. The powertrain is of course a hybrid but no further details have been revealed.

More will probably be disclosed at the Tokyo show next month, so stay tuned, but for now you can look after the jump for hi-res images.

Posted on Monday, December 21, 2009 / 0 nhận xét / Read More

Honda NSX Prototype finds loophole

We knew it was coming and now we've got details. According to the latest reports out of Japan, the Honda NSX will live on, but mere mortals will never get a shot behind the wheel.

As previously reported, Honda has been actively petitioning the Japanese Automobile Federation (JAF) -- the organizing entity behind Japan's Super GT series -- to run a new front-engine racer in the touring car championship. A cursory reading of the rule book states that vehicles campaigning in SuperGT must be production vehicles (think GT-R, MR2, SC430). However, Honda's found a loop-hole.

Just as Toyota has done in recent years with the Supra (it's out of production), the Super GT rules specify that a vehicle's specs and design must be submitted to JAF to be approved. That means that a vehicle can be "production ready," if not actually in production. So for the 2010 SuperGT season, Honda will bring out an all-new race car based on the NSX prototype (seen above), reportedly packing a 3.4-liter V8.

[Source: Autoblog]

Posted on Saturday, December 12, 2009 / 0 nhận xét / Read More

Video: Honda EV-N all-electric concept Revealed in Tokyo

The 105-second video shows the close-cropped car from multiple angles, with some focus given to the vehicle's lighting unique. Fabric options range from standard red, to a tartan-plaid blue, and checkered yellow. These can be swapped out whenever, and wherever, the owner feels like it, guaranteed to satisfy any cosplay schoolgirl.

Battery charge information is displayed on the vehicle's "grille," with more information provided to let others on the road know if the car is going to stop, start, or turn. The driver stays up-to-date on the system status thanks to well-placed in-dash screen.

Frighteningly, Honda wants people to drive this car "in the same carefree way they talk to friends on a mobile phone or listen to tunes on a music player." This seems like a very, very bad idea.