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Future Vehicles 2010 Honda CR-Z
78 messages, Last post on Oct 26, 2009 at 12:11 PM
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So, is anyone as interested in this model as I am? Reports are wild on the internet right now: it will be a 2010 model, it will be a 2011 or 2012, it will be priced under $20K, it could be priced at $30K or more, it will or will not be a hybrid, and most importantly, it may not come to America at all! Regardless of the other stuff, I really hope the last one isn't true. Honda should SO have brought back the CRX long before now. Me, I know I would be at the head of the line for one, provided it has really good fuel economy. And hey, it's a 2-seater for which they are targeting a curb weight of 2500 pounds or less, so how much gas could it really consume?! The most recent concept model not only looks great, it looks mostly DONE, like Honda could really put this on the market as soon as next summer (as a 2010 model). But please skip the 19" rims, Honda!  Here are some articles giving information on this model: http://blogs.motortrend.com/6230455/car-news/europe-to-be-main-market-for-produc- tion-honda-cr-z-hybrid/index.html http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-to-launch-cr-z-hybrid-in-europe-by-2010.html http://4wheelsblog.com/prototypes/honda-crx-will-be-hybrid-in-2011 So what does everyone think? Is there still a market for sporty 2-seaters? Would you want to see a hybrid, or would a gas-powered model be fine? And how much would you be willing to spend - $20K, $25K, more? Having had a couple of the old CRXs, I know they are worth their weight in gold, and I only wish I hadn't got rid of my '88 SI. $20-25K wouldn't be too much to spend for me, if it could provide the fun of the older models. |
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I think it should be offered in standard form, for those who value the attributes associated with lighter weight and low price over the lowest fuel consumption, and a hybrid version, for those that put the highest priority on fuel economy. I also believe Honda will offer a Civic-size hybrid sedan or four door hatchback, to compete with the Prius. I'm very interested in the '09 (next generation) Fix, and would love to see the upcoming CRX based on the Fix platform. I'm not encouraged that this won't happen, though.
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Replying to: hpmctorque (May 16, 2008 12:11 am) I agree with you that they should offer a base model with a gas engine for lower price, as well as a higher-priced hybrid. They have promised that by 2010 they will have one model with a hybrid powertrain priced below $20K - this CRZ could be it, or they could come up with a more direct Prius challenger with a $19,995 price tag. I also wouldn't mind seeing them offer a CRZ 'HF' like the CRX HF of old, but I know that is asking for too much. Honda is going hybrid for fuel savings these days, not employing its old tricks for that purpose. In terms of your light weight comment, I kinda hope they offer a version with crank windows and other equipment reductions so they can keep the weight really low. |
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The old CRX HF was geared very high. As such, it delivered excellent fuel economy, but at the expense of "fun-to-drive." The slower acceleration wasn't so much the issue as the driving dynamics, in terms of feel and sound, resulting from the tall gearing. The upshot is that I'd prefer a light hybrid (such as GM offers in certain models) to very tall gearing, for extra fuel economy. If you were offered the choice of, (A) a standard CR-Z; (B) a HF version (both at the same or similar price); (C) a hybrid version, at a higher price, which would you choose? I'd probably choose (A), for the fun-to-drive factor, plus good, but not stellar, fuel economy. I might go for (C) if the driving dynamics weren't too adversely affected by the hybrid's greater weight, but I'd take a pass on (B). I wouldn't hold my breath for crank windows. I think that Honda has positioned itself as a manufacturer of economical, but not cheap, vehicles, which precludes these types of manual devices for the vehicles it sells in the developed countries, at least.
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Replying to: hpmctorque (May 16, 2008 7:30 am) One of the ways Honda got the old HFs and HXs to burn less gas was by making the fuel/air mixture very lean, which causes elevated NOx emissions, so I wouldn't expect anything like that in the future with smog standards tightening all the time. If they end up making two versions of the car, one with a gas engine and one a hybrid, I would go for the hybrid at a $2000 premium as long as the weight stayed nice and low and it saved at least 25% in fuel vs the gas model. I'm looking for a 50 mpg car to replace my current car, and as much as I would like to think that Honda could get to 50 mpg on gas alone with weight reductions and sophisticated engine management, I don't think they can. Now with a hybrid powertrain, I bet they could, and maybe go even further. One thing I really love about this car is the looks - looks better to me than the Civic coupe, while mimicking some of its lines for a family resemblance. |
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| I'm not too crazy about the styling. I prefer the styling of the Kia coup concept that's likely to go into production (can't remember the model name at this time). | |
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The Kia coupe concept I'm thinking about is called the Koup (appropriately enough). Based on the pictures, I prefer the styling of the Kia over the Honda. |
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| the production car will have smaller rims...I kinda like it, even though I am still a fan of the boxy style of the last CRX. This one looks similar in some ways to the RSX, when that was still around. | |
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"TOKYO -- Honda’s president says the Japanese automaker will sell a new, improved and affordable gas-electric hybrid in the U.S., Japan and Europe starting early next year. Takeo Fukui told reporters that “green” cars, especially hybrids, will be a pillar of Honda’s strategy for the next three years, starting this fiscal year that began April 1. He did not say what the price of the vehicle would be. But he said the new hybrid will be a five-door sedan seating five passengers, and it will feature new technology that reduces the size and weight of the hybrid system to increase fuel efficiency. “Hybrids have drawn attention for their image, but time has come to go to the next step,” he said, stressing that Honda was serious about selling hybrids in numbers. Honda plans to sell 500,000 hybrids per year sometime after 2010, he said. To expand hybrid sales, Honda will introduce a new sporty hybrid based on the CR-Z model, a Civic hybrid and a hybrid model of the Fit subcompact, which is sold as the Jazz in Europe, in addition to the new hybrid going on sale next year, Fukui said." As for the Acura Division, separately I read that Honda believes that hybrids work best for Civic-size and smaller cars, while diesels are preferable for larger vehicles. From this it looks like Acura will look to diesels for fuel economy gains. The TSX will offer a diesel engine option next year. Unfortunately, in the U.S., unlike in Europe, some of the diesel's fuel economy advantage is offset by high diesel fuel prices. The price for diesel was $497.99/gallon at one station I drove past several days ago, so the benefits of diesel over regular gasoline, especially, but even compared to premium, are significantly diminished. With oil over $130/barrel this morning we can probably expect to see diesel fuel at >$5 at many stations.
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they are very serious about offering a hybrid version of the CR-Z, when it arrives. This new hybrid 5-door (not the CR-Z, a different model) expected to arrive next spring and undercut the Civic hybrid in price will probably end up being their lowest-priced hybrid model. I would expect the CR-Z hybrid to cost more, maybe as much as a base Prius (but with a completely different mission from the Prius). But hey, the best part of this news is merely the fact that with this announcement, Honda seems a lot more committed than it has been to bringing the CR-Z to the U.S. I like that kind of news!
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