Honda's Hybrid Sports Coupe Arrives Q3 2010
Honda's hybrid sports coupe will have a 6-speed manual transmission.
There's no doubt that Honda's upcoming sports coupe, the 2009 CR-Z, is a hot-looking car, with shapely curves and a tight frame that should make any automobile fan sweat. The latest model also pays homage to the awesome CR-X from the 80's and 90's, and is slated to cost around $19,000 to $25,000 USD when it arrives here in the States in Fall 2010.
But the big news here is that the forthcoming CR-Z could possibly be the first hybrid vehicle to arrive in North America that sports a 6-speed manual transmission. Although specific details weren't given, Honda said that the new car will be 161-inches long, and will use a 1.5-liter i-VETEC 4-cylinder engine with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid powertrain.
Autoblog, who apparently went to the Tokyo Motor Show and checked out the CR-Z prototype, said that Japan will get the car first, slated for a release in February 2010. "The cool scoop-like grille from the original 2007 concept has been largely carried over, with the biggest changes being a somewhat taller roof and a more upright windshield with blacked out A-pillars--concessions to the fact that real people will have to fit into the production car," the site reports.
Honda said that the latest prototype is "95-percent" of what the production model will eventually look like when its finally revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
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wow thats a pretty sexy hybrid
Are we thinking of the same CR-X? I thought that car was pure vomit... Not pure sex... To each his own though.
I still think hybrid sports cars are very necessary though (albeit a saddening one).
Way to botch this one up, Honda!
Take one of your most iconic and storied models, the CRX, and turn it into a bloated, hybrid "sports coupe". 161 inches is over a foot longer than the original CRX. It will, in all likelyhood, be 1,500 lbs. heavier too. This is worse than what the VW GTI has become.
Didn't Honda already try the "hybrid assist" concept on another vehicle? That's right... the Accord had a simialr system. Oh wait, the Accord Hybrid was cancled because nobody really got the idea of a hybrid system boosting performance, rather than increasing fuel economy.
The most tragic of all: At 29/35 MPG (per the EPA), a 1988 CRX's fuel economy probably isn't that far from what this new CR-Z will be getting.
I agree. Most of these hybrids are a joke. I drive a '07 Honda Civic Coupe LX. I get 36 MPG on AVERAGE, and I tend to cruise the highways between 80 - 95 MPH (yeah, I'm a lead-foot, so sue me). When I'm ready to buy a new car in a couple of years, I think I'll just give this one to my daughter and get a Civic SI. They can keep the hybrid.
honda fanboys get upset when outsiders spell VTEC wrong. but usually we get VTECH (like the phone), but this is the first time i've seen "VETEC"
WEETEC
Either (nintendo) WiiTec or WeeTec (asus)
Way to botch this one up, Honda!Take one of your most iconic and storied models, the CRX, and turn it into a bloated, hybrid "sports coupe". 161 inches is over a foot longer than the original CRX. It will, in all likelyhood, be 1,500 lbs. heavier too. This is worse than what the VW GTI has become. Didn't Honda already try the "hybrid assist" concept on another vehicle? That's right... the Accord had a simialr system. Oh wait, the Accord Hybrid was cancled because nobody really got the idea of a hybrid system boosting performance, rather than increasing fuel economy. The most tragic of all: At 29/35 MPG (per the EPA), a 1988 CRX's fuel economy probably isn't that far from what this new CR-Z will be getting.
The Accord Hybrid failed because the only difference between the regular Accord and the hybrid Accord was the badge on the side. Since back then when they released it, most people buying hybrids simply used them as a status symbol, but since you couldnt tell it was a hybrid at first glance, it didnt give these people the visibility they wanted. So people bought the Prius which gave these high-minded people the green-cred they desired. Its all a shame anyway. The production of the car itself consumes so much more resources than a normal car that you have to own and drive the car for years before it beings worth it to the environment. The problem with that is the people buying these cars will get a new one in 2 years anyway, which makes their buying a hybrid only a token gesture in the first place.
Wow
Wow, another stupid front wheel drive car from Honda that they call a sports car.
Nice looking car, but I buy my vehicles when they're 2-3yrs old @50-65% of new cost and keep them for a long time. That strategy won't work with hybrids and their expensive batteries that don't age well, so no thanks. If they make an AWD version, keep the 6 speed and lose the hybrid, then I'd be interested.
My 1991 Honda CRX Si (220,000 miles) still gets 38mpg on the highway, even after I installed a cone filter intake, 4-2-1 header, and 60mm stainless exhaust system. Plus it gained 10-15 hp (over the stock 108) and will accelerate smartly w/o downshifting while doing 80 in 5th gear. Why should I pay $20-25K for a new car that will get less MPG, have a lower-tech suspension (MacPherson struts and a rear torsion beam? Bleh!), and a worse hp/weight ratio? Assuming my 2150# car currently makes 120hp and the estimate for the CR-Z is 2850#, it would have to have at least 160hp (140+20 for engine & electric motor) to reach parity. You will not get 140hp out of the L15 engine, you'd have to use the R18 from the Civic or the old 1.6 liter DOHC ZC or B16A.