One of the most popular cars at the Tokyo show this week, the four-passenger Honda CR-Z concept not only looked good on the display stand, but Honda offered some actual news about its future.
Arriving in the U.S. as a two-seater coupe, the future production hybrid will debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January, with production starting later in the year.
The 1.5-liter i-VTEC + IMA hybrid powertrain will be paired with a six-speed manual transmission in the new coupe.
Although the six-speed manual is a first, the original Honda Insight came with a five-speed manual shifter, so a hybrid stick is not unprecedented.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor
2009 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Honda CR-Z Concept
sabastian says:
07:58 PM, 10/21/09
I'm looking forward to this car, but the powerplant leaves me a bit underwhelmed. Dear Honda, I'll seriously consider the CR-Z when you drop the Civic Si's engine and limited slip diff in it. At least the 6-speed is a good start.
zoomzoomn says:
05:25 AM, 10/22/09
I agree with sabastian only to the point that a hot model would be nice. If this car can come out and perform as well or better than CRX Si's of yore, but get gas milage like the same in HF form, then this car will be a winner!
hondacura4 says:
05:26 AM, 10/22/09
I truly hope the IMA + 6MT combo will have that certain Honda character, be energetic and playful like the DOHC i-VTEC/6MT combos found in many of Honda's high performance variants.
Another thing I hope the CR-Z will overcome is that since it's based on the Insight's chassis, it has a rear beam axle instead of a double wishbone or multilink setup. I don't know how that's going to work with the target audience.
dougtheeng says:
06:17 AM, 10/22/09
This is a pretty appealing car. I won't be in the market for a new vehicle when it comes out, which makes me sad. Its the first Honda in a long time, maybe ever, that I've loved.
compliance says:
09:02 AM, 10/22/09
Still no word on the weight. This thing will be fail.
hollowtek says:
02:49 AM, 10/23/09
Yeah it's too bad for myself as well. I won't be in the market when it arrives, but knowing how trends are these days, I think it's better if I wait for a sportier variant to be released.