link.. http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...11-honda-cr-z/




2011 Honda CR-ZThis spiritual successor to the venerable Honda CR-X originally made its debut as a concept car two years ago at the Tokyo Motor Show. And now, at this year’s show, Honda has revealed a new CR-Z, a 2-seat hybrid sports coupe that looks very much like the final production version scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the second half of 2010.



"Beyond great styling and features, the CR-Z will bring new levels of engagement and fun to customers interested in a small car or a hybrid vehicle," says Eric Berkman, Honda’s vice president of planning.



Fitted with a 6-speed manual transmission and sport-tuned suspension, the upcoming CR-Z certainly will be engaging for the driver, the first hybrid sports coupe on the market. Although the car on display at Tokyo has a tiny back seat, the production CR-Z (which makes its worldwide debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January) is a sporty 2-seater, one with the added practicality of a hatchback.



Conveying its fun-to-drive nature, the CR-Z boasts a bold grille, slit openings for the headlamps and strong character lines that give this Honda an aggressive, angular look. It’s taller and less rounded that the original concept, making it much more practical and ready for production.



One styling cue that connects the CR-Z to the highly entertaining original CR-X is the shape of the rear quarter glass. Beneath the hood, the front-wheel-drive CR-Z is powered by a stronger version of the Insight's 1.5-liter 4-cylinder hybrid powertrain. Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist works like an electric supercharger, effectively boosting both off-the-line response and fuel economy.



The CR-Z concept's interior features more glitz than the production model will, but the layout will remain the same, with the main instrument bezel positioned behind a 3-spoke steering wheel flanked by pods for the auxiliary controls. With the CR-Z—which goes into production at Honda’s Suzuka factory in February—it appears that we will now be able to mix a healthy dose of driving fun with environmental consciousness.

 

I kind of like the looks of it. that front grill is a little too big for my liking but I can look past that. What are the performance specs of this thing and why hybrid?

 

apparently supposed to be a quick little sucker from the way they are describing it and hyping it up.. havent seen any spec sheets yet though.

looks like fun to drive though...

 

There's a whole thread in Automotive News...

 

Looks:

Hybrid: :thumbsdow

 

Snout & rear end = not attractive, IMO
Hybrid = boring, won't be much power
2 seater = very limited market for this car

I predict it won't do too well. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Honda needs a mid-size hybrid (or diesel), not more compacts. They are effectively ignoring the families out there looking for more economical transportation.

 

I think this would be used as a daily commuter more then anything, and I would much rather drive this then a smart car and I see those things EVERYWHERE

 

1.5 litre hybrid FTL.

 

sounds like its no slug... i guess we'll find out though.

if anything it will be a blast to zip around in. dont see it being a hit unless the price is in a good range....

 

I don't know why they aren't integrating the navigation like they do on the type R, that dash is beautiful compared to what we have, it's one of the main reasons I didn't go with navi on my Si.

 

Yes...sell a little 2-seater with no power.


That'll really bring them in.

 

worked with the crx and del sol

true the car wont be for gear heads though... but neither were its predecessors...

might be a good swap car with its small size and 6 spd... who knowsssss

 

Ahhhh....maybe that explains it: Honda is stuck in the late 80's-early 90's.....no wonder they think a 1.5 litre hybrid 2 seater is what the hot coupe/hatch buyer is looking for.

 

or maybe its aimed at another crowd? does the production of this car upset you for some reason... i personally dont like it, i think they could have brought the crx back with some sizzle and made it a smaller 2 door car utilizing the civic si's motor catching the attention of that crowd...

obviously they arent trying to bring in tuners...

i dont think cars have to have 6 cylinders and 300 hp to be fun though.. so im the minority i suppose.

 

What is this 2 seater 1.5 litre hybrid crowd that you speak of?
I see no demand for this?

FWIW this thread is a from automotive news.
Go there and see all the comments.

 

will do... mod can delete this if need be..

 

+1

1.5L from Fit = 117hp
electric motor from Insight = 13hp

117+13=130hp

 

hybrid blows

 

Wow, it's like deja vu. I'm pretty sure everyone thought the original CRX was going to be a bust. Still the car I miss the most. And IMO 130hp w/6spd is going to make it a very fun car to drive. Shoot, my '88 CRX Si had barely over 100hp and it felt so quick. Handling is going to be awesome and just like the original the mpgs are going to be great. I don't see why everyone is complaining. Like Honda's going to come out with the Si motor in this thing. Psssh, that would not happen on introduction, not to say down the road it wouldn't happen. I personally am excited to see this thing in the showrooms and will definitely be test driving it.

 

I don't know why manufacturers are so blind, k20Z3 w/6MT in a shortened and lightened civic like car would probably be a fun to drive little car.

And 13hp from an electric motor is not as significant as it's torque, which plateaus at 1RPM and decreases in higher RPM's while remaining peaked for the duration of lower RPM's. As this becomes more and more common the normal ratings we are all used to will start to change. Here's an example, the Tesla Roadsters Torque diagram.

 

Hmmm, well its a stupid hybrid so...... No thanks.

 

Hybrid or not it should be fun to drive. The purpose is to bring back a fun to drive car, not to win drag races...I'll take this any day over the Crosstoure.

 

what is the point of this car?

they already have the civic as a hybrid and the insight....:sigh:

 

Young padawan, you are too young to remember the original CRX and the 2G CRX --one of my personal favorite cars of the late 80's-early 90's. Many of us drooling over it remember that great little car. As far as the drivetrain question.....no big deal, offer a decent engine option that has more power AND a hybrid, and the enthusiasts AND treehuggers will be happy.

In any case, the discussion should be continued in the Automotive News thread....
https://acurazine.com/forums/automotive-news-6/honda-cr-z-news-%2A%2Afacelift-revealed-page-31-%2A%2A-357998/