Honda's latest is sexy, green and an Internet hit

The 2010 Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe is one of the most eagerly anticipated new cars, so much so that a Japanese consumer brochure has been leaked and posted on the Internet, where it's drawn hundreds of thousands of hits.

The manufacturer seems out to prove that green cars can also be sexy in the looks department. The final design is much the same as the concept version revealed last year, with some minor changes not immediately evident in the brochure.

The brochure reveals that the CR-Z is powered by a gas-fuelled 1.5-litre i-VTEC internal combustion engine that produces 114 hp at 6,000 revs as well as 145Nm of torque at 4,800 revs. The engine operates with a 14-hp electric motor with an output 78Nm of torque, matched to a six-speed manual transmission.

The CR-Z is expected to go on sale in Japan by February 2010, shortly before its launch in other major world markets.

-Viridian Joule hardly rolls off the tongue but in an online contest by General Motors, it garnered more than 3,000 votes as the signature colour for the new Chevy Volt electric/ gas car set for launch next year.

It also won the man who came up with the paint name, David Thomas of Florida, the first opportunity to drive a pre-production version of the new family sedan.

"I looked at the photo of the Volt on the contest website and thought it looked emerald in color, which led to jewel and then to an alternate yet appropriate play on that word -joule [a unit of electrical energy]," said 40-year-old Thomas.

Chevrolet also selected "EVergreen," offered by Devin McQuarrie, 30, and "environMINT," entered by Matthew Valbuena, 30, both of California.

"When our Volt marketing materials arrive in dealerships, you'll see 'Viridian Joule'as the official name of the silver exterior with an emerald hue," said Maria Rohrer, Global Volt and Global Marketing Director at Chevrolet.

The Chevy Volt is an electric vehicle capable of driving up to 100 kms between fill-ups on electricity. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted, an engine/generator operates to extend the range to about 480 kilometres before refueling or recharging is necessary.

-Fiesta Movement agents and their Twitter friends gathered at the Palladium in West Hollywood to set a new Guinness World Record for the "most attendees at a tweetup"

A tweetup is any gathering of two or more people who know each other through Twitter, and this unprecedented event brought together Fiesta Movement agents and Twitter friends.

Ford's Fiesta Movement Awards Celebration provided attendees with a sneak peek of the North American Fiesta.

100 young folks are test driving and living with a European-spec Ford Fiesta for six months, travelling as agents on special missions. They then go on to relate their experiences through a variety of social media sites.

These agents -picked from online contestants across the U.S.-have travelled more than 2.25 million kilometres and generated more than 6 million YouTube views, nearly 740,000 Flickr views and more than 3.7 million Twitter impressions of the car.

"Time and again, our Fiesta Movement agents have shown how social media, adventurous spirit and unbridled enthusiasm can bring people together in new, exciting ways," said Connie Fontaine, Ford brand content and alliances manager. "Never before has a group of car owners created such a sustained buzz for a new car."

Source;
http://www.kelowna.com/2009/12/11/hondas-latest-is-sexy-green-and-an-internet-hit/

A Honda CR-Z Rendering

Found this rendering of what the CR-Z may look like from a reader over at Autoblog.com.
Here's the concept version of the car.

So much has been made about the new Honda Insight that it seems like the CR-Z had been forgotten. This car looks like it will be a two-seater like the CR-X was and is said to be designed with the CR-X as a heavy influence.

Source;

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/09/17/rendered-speculation-honda-cr-z-hybrid-coupe/

4 Hybrids and 2 Diesels on the Way for Honda

2009 Honda FIT (2011 FIT Hybrid?!?) Nice.
Honda CRZ.
The Global Honda Hybrid, incorrectly termed 2010 Insight.
2010 Honda Stream/Latitude.

Honda seems to be the only major automaker making it through the tough times of high gasoline prices and for the future the Japanese automaker plans to keep doing what its doing - keeping compact and green. Honda plans to offer more hybrid and diesel technology in its future lineup which will also get smaller.

“A smaller minivan could fit into Honda’s future,” Dan Bonawitz, vice president for corporate planning and logistics at American Honda Motor Co., told Automotive News. ”Ultimately, there will be a lot more smaller cars. The U.S. will look a lot more like Europe.”

So far dealers are waiting on the arrive of the redesigned 2009 Honda Fit. A hybrid version of the Fit will arrive in 2011. Of course let’s the five-door hatchback that’s been keeping Honda in the headlines recently. The dedicated-hybrid model will arrive next year as a 2010 model year and will cost below $20,000.

Both of those hybrids will be followed by the Honda CR-Z hybrid that is due out in late 2011. The CR-Z will be followed by a redesigned Civic and Civic Hybrid along with a diesel powered Accord. The diesel engine will also make its way in the CR-V in 2010.

As for the gas-guzzling and larger models - the S2000 roadster’s future is unclear after sales have fallen off dramatically. The new redesign Pilot just hit the market this year and Honda has already cut production of the new SUV.

The Honda Ridgeline was just refreshed for the 2009 model year - the Element will see a redesign in 2010 along with the Odyssey. Another minivan, the Japanese Honda Stream, is expected to be imported to the U.S. by 2010 as a rival to the Mazda5.

Source; http://www.automotivenews.com/ subscription needed.

Honda's BIG Plans for Hybrid Sales

I found a nice article from Business Week online;

by Ian Rowley

TOKYO - With a solid lineup of small cars and superflexible factories that can quickly shift from SUVs to subcompacts, Honda Motor (HMC) has prospered lately. In June the Japanese automaker saw its sales jump by 14% even as its biggest rivals slumped.

But Honda's satisfaction with its results is tempered by the knowledge that they might have been far better if the carmaker had gotten its hybrid strategy right. While the company was the first major automaker to offer a hybrid in the U.S.—the Insight, introduced in 1999—Honda's efforts have long been overshadowed by Toyota Motor's (TM) success with the Prius. Honda misread what customers wanted, acknowledges research and development chief Masaaki Kato. As a result, the company has sold just 277,000 hybrids to date, compared with Toyota's 1.5 million. Honda stopped making the two-seat Insight in 2006 and last year ditched an unpopular Accord hybrid. Today, the company sells only one hybrid model: a version of the Civic compact. "I must admit that Toyota was better with its strategy of focusing on the Prius and trying to build an environment-friendly image," he says.

Now, Honda is fighting back. By early next decade, it aims to sell 500,000 hybrids annually, up from just 55,000 in 2007. Next year it expects to offer a new compact in the U.S., Japan, and Europe that, like the Prius, will be sold only as a hybrid. Honda has high hopes for the car, and wants to sell 200,000 units a year eventually. In 2010, Honda will launch a hybrid sportster based on a sleek concept car called the CR-Z that it unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. That same year, Honda will likely release a new hybrid Civic, and it's planning to market a hybrid version of the Fit subcompact soon thereafter.

As sales pick up and Honda gets better at making hybrids, the company expects to reduce costs sharply. R&D boss Kato says he can bring the price differential between a hybrid and an equivalent gasoline-only car below $2,000. While not as powerful as Toyota's hybrid technology, the Honda system is lighter and less complex, so its new models may offer better gas mileage. Honda hasn't disclosed pricing, but the compact hybrid due next year could retail for around $18,000-$3,000 less than a Prius, reckons Tatsuo Yoshida, an analyst at UBS (UBS) in Tokyo. He adds that while selling 500,000 hybrids a year will be a challenge, the new cars could also help Honda steal some of the green limelight back from Toyota. "Publicity-wise, the new hybrids are very good news for Honda," he says.

For the rest of the article, follow the this link;
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_30/b4093062857546.htm?chan=autos_autos+--+lifestyle+subindex+page_top+stories

Honda Hybrid May Be Called Insight; Set to Out Prius the Prius

Above it the next Honda Hybrid concept called the 'CRZ'.Above is the lovable Honda Insight (1999 - 2006)

Nice article at Edmunds AutoObserver, here it is....

By Peter Nunn

TOKYO - Surging gas prices, global warming and the need to go green make this absolutely the most perfect time for Honda to roll out an all-new, cutting edge gas-electric hybrid. Honda's eagerly awaited, long overdue rival for the Toyota Prius is set to set to land in American driveways in the first half of 2009.

Smaller than a Civic and with a unique five-door hatchback style, Honda's "New Dedicated Hybrid Vehicle" may well revive the Insight name when it goes on sale. Strong rumours in Tokyo also suggest that this 'new Insight' will adapt and repackage the Civic Hybrid's IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) front-drive powertrain and first appear in public in concept form at this October's Paris Auto Salon, ahead of its full official launch at the Detroit auto show in January.

If there's a no-show at Paris, then Honda's new concept hybrid will certainly be shown at the Los Angeles Show in November.

New Math for Honda Hybrids

Honda first spoke publicly about this new fuel-sipping global hybrid in Tokyo back in summer 200. At that time, Honda President Takeo Fukui floated the idea of a yearly sales plan of 200,000 units, with North America projected to take half.

Things have moved on quite a bit since then. This May, Fukui outlined a more ambitious plan involving not one, but four new compact hybrids, coupled with a new hybrid target of 500,000 units a year by around 2015.

Honda will produce not only a new Civic Hybrid, but also a version of its small, slinky CR-Z sports coupe concept seen at the 2007 Tokyo Show.

Add this dedicated 'new Insight' hatchback to the mix as well, plus a hybrid version of the next Fit, which may appear around 2013, and you have Honda's new hybrid quartet and that fresh half a million-unit target.

Some actually believe Honda is already being too conservative with these estimates based on the fact that the coming global hybrid may well turn out to be the coolest, most talked about, most gotta-have small green Honda in more than three decades.

A car that conceivably could do the unthinkable and out Prius the Prius.

In which case, in $4 gallon America, sales of this small, super-efficient Japanese-built Honda hybrid could just skyrocket, and soon.

A Historic, High-Mileage Honda

Not since the days of the first, pivotal CVCC-engined Civic of 1973 will Honda have had such a mainstream, marketable eco champion on the blocks. The car's design and space are good, according to a source familiar with the project, borrowing a lot from the fresh, flowing design of the FCX Clarity, Honda's groundbreaking new fuel cell sedan that officially went into production Monday in Japan with much ceremony.

The hybrid's economy is also "insane" says this well-placed insider with a good natured laugh, which suggests a rating well above today's Civic Hybrid which has an EPA-estimated city/highway rating of 40/45 mpg, the best of any 2008 Honda.

So how insane, exactly? Well, Japanese sources predict a domestic fuel rating of 30 km/l, equal to 71 mpg in the US. Now, that's in Japan's 10.15-mode fuel cycle, which is now a bit old and quite often shows hybrids in an especially flattering light.

Some are talking about even more, as in 35 km/l (equal to 82 mpg), which is pretty much what the old Insight registered in Japan (although it was much less in the U.S.). A more realistic expectation for the U.S., then, would seem to be in the 50-55 mpg-plus range.

Affordably Priced

Another enticement would surely be sticker price. Honda's also let it be known that the price differential over a typical Fit-type model in same class will be just ¥200,000 or so (some $1,850, at the time of going to press). That's in Tokyo, at least.

Honda, it's believed, wants to start this 'new Insight' off for under $19,000 in Japan, so well undercutting the Prius.

So, here's a 'smart' new little Honda that'll be compact and affordable, combining stellar mileage with low emissions and a fresh hatchback design, and will come with a Honda badge on the hood. It's hard at this point to see exactly what could go wrong.

Well, maybe in-house competition from the Fit and Civic Hybrid coupled with the arrogance of certain Honda dealers who know how to charge top dollar for any hot new Honda. Those are two areas that could dent its chances. But surely, not for long.

Regaining Honda Hybrid Leadership

Honda has certainly learned its lesson with hybrids. Even though it was the first into the hybrid race in the U.S. with the tiny, two-seat Insight coupe, which bowed in December 1999, Honda has since had to sit back and watch, as have others, as Toyota's eaten up the market and the Prius has gone on to become the rock star of today's eco generation.

Worthy as they have been, the Civic and Accord hybrids just haven't caught on in the same way. Honda has at last woken up to one of the Prius' biggest strengths: that its unique styling tells the world at glance you're driving a high tech, ultra eco car. If you want to make an environmental statement, the Prius is still the hottest game in town.

With that revelation on board, Honda's thus crafted the design for an all new, five-passenger hatchback body which, we hear, also bears more than a passing resemblance to the Prius, from certain angles, certainly around the A-pillars.

This 'new Insight' is reputed to stand some 3 inches longer than the latest Fit and about an inch wider, while being based off the same 98.4 inches wheelbase.

Platform and architecture will be Fit-derived and power served by an updated version of the Civic Hybrid's 1.3-liter IMA powertrain, sources say.

Sticking with NiMH Batteries

What's certain is that Honda will site the car's compact nickel-hydride (NiMH) battery pack beneath the trunk floor, as opposed in the rear seat back as per today's Civic Hybrid sedan.

Honda still has major reservations about the viability of the more advanced style of high power, lightweight lithium-ion batteries for mass production.

Honda will use Li-lo in the FCX Clarity fuel cell car for the time being and nothing else. This means, Honda's near future hybrids won't get it. As Honda sees it, lithium-ion batteries still need to improve their safety/reliability until the company's fully convinced of their worth for mass production.

Adding Value through Simplicity

Honda also talks about 'a major cost reduction' with the engineering of the new car, which sounds attractive. But what Honda's really talking about here is the ongoing process of making the key IMA hybrid components - four-cylinder gas engine, electric motor, CVT transmission and battery pack - all smaller and lighter, more tightly packaged while also using fewer parts.

Adding to the value equation is the fact that Honda's IMA system is simpler than Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system in the Prius. Honda's IMA is fundamentally set up for maximum economy and when driving, the gas engine is pretty much running all the while. Honda is apparently less bothered about having its hybrids run on pure, silent, zero emission, electric/battery power, something Toyota's trying actively now to extend.

Japanese sources suggest the new global hybrid will run with a modified version of the Civic Hybrid's 1.3-liter 3-Stage i-VTEC four-cylinder +IMA powertrain. With 94 horsepower, performance in the smaller body should still be promising, especially when the 15 kW-class electric motor engaged. Suspension will again be Civic-derived.

At a time when Toyota is planning to move the Prius up market, from 1.5 to 1.8 liters with the coming third generation, Honda's ploy of producing a smaller, lighter, cheaper 1.3-liter competitor for major world markets looks pretty astute.

Battle of the Hybrids

Toyota, of course, will respond by producing not one, but three versions of the next Prius, according to sources, including a smaller edition than now, which will hit directly on this new global Honda hybrid as the coming global wars heat up.

Honda's new global hybrid will be built in the same Suzuka plant in Japan that made the courageous, wacky but ultimately unsuccessful Insight coupe, which Honda pulled from the market in 2006.

Honda, it's fair to say, hasn't really clicked yet on hybrids. But starting early in 2009, at coincidentally the same Detroit auto show at which the keenly awaited new Toyota Prius will go live, Honda will at last be fully in the game with this small, super competitive and ultra fuel efficient 'new Insight.'

Still, even at 500,000 hybrid units a year, Honda will still be totally outpaced by Toyota which is forging ahead with an aggressive plan for selling 1 million hybrid units a year by the early 2010s.

Twenty years after the 1989 Detroit Show when Lexus and Infiniti came out and announced their intentions towards America's luxury market in no uncertain fashion, a completely different but no less intense, high stakes power game will unfold as Honda's 'new Insight' and the next Prius go head-to-head under the lights at Detroit's Cobo Hall.

The green revolution will finally then have arrived.

Source; http://www.autoobserver.com/2008/06/honda-hybrid-may-be-called-insight-set-to-out-prius-the-prius.html

2010/2011 Honda FIT Hybrid

Adding a hybrid version of the popular and 10Best-winning Fit seems much like putting a second layer of icing on an already tasty cake. But in his press conference, Fukai is quoted as saying the premium for the hybrid over the conventional Fit cannot exceed $2000. The current price of a Fit ranges from $14,585 to $16,705. The hybrid reportedly would go on sale by 2015 with the third-generation of the B-segment car.
While Toyota gets most of the credit for the burgeoning hybrid market, Honda was actually first on the scene in the U.S. with the Insight in 1999. But consumers have not snapped up its subsequent hybrids, forcing the automaker to drop its Accord hybrid from the 2008 model line due to slow sales.

Honda Announces Additional Details on New Small Hybrid Vehicle

Reduction in component size and manufacturing costs to improve hybrid affordability

05/20/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -
Honda today announced additional details regarding its new small hybrid scheduled for introduction in early 2009, as part of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. CEO Takeo Fukui's mid-year address. An official name and full product details will be announced later this year.

In addition to weight reduction, a significant cost reduction in Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) components will result in the most affordable hybrid vehicle to date. This dedicated hybrid vehicle will be offered as a 5-door hatchback with seating for five passengers and will employ an exterior design concept that evokes the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle. Along with the Civic Hybrid, the new vehicle will be produced at an expanded IMA production line at Honda's Suzuka factory in Japan.

The new small gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle will have expected annual global sales of 200,000 units per year - approximately 100,000 of which are bound for the North American market. Following this launch, Honda also plans to introduce another unique small hybrid vehicle based on the CR-Z sports car first shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show as well as a Fit hybrid model. Including the Civic Hybrid, these four hybrid vehicles are expected to reach combined annual global sales of approximately 500,000 units.

"Honda has been at the forefront of hybrid development since it first introduced the American public to hybrid technology with the Insight in 1999," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "These new advancements in Honda's technology and production systems will result in cost reductions that will allow us to make hybrid technology available to a whole new generation of buyers."

Featuring seating for five passengers, distinctive styling and high-value amenities, the new hybrid will present an appealing package. Taking advantage of reductions in the size of components, the battery and the internal processing unit will be positioned below the rear cargo area, allowing the hatchback design to provide adequate cargo space to meet the needs of a family. Additionally, various technologies, including a function to assist more fuel efficient driving, are being installed to achieve a further improvement of practical fuel efficiency. With its affordable price, the new hybrid vehicle will represent the best value in its segment.

The new hybrid will be produced at a newly developed second IMA production line at Honda's Suzuka factory, which currently produces the Civic Hybrid. With the second line in operation and improvements in IMA production efficiency, hybrid production capacity at Suzuka will increase from 70,000 vehicles per year to approximately 250,000 units, with future expansion possible if needed.

Honda is committed to offering products with the highest environmental performance produced at factories with reduced environmental footprints. A leader in the development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient mobility products, Honda introduced the first low-emission vehicles; America's first gas/electric hybrid car, the Insight and the world's first EPA-certified hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, among other environmental achievements. In 2007, Honda was named "greenest automaker" by the Union of Concerned Scientists for the fourth straight time.

Honda FIT Coupe?

Found this on Vince Burlap's The Hollywood Extra, he seems to think it is a Fit coupe. I don't know where he got the photo, but I do know that Honda is in works on a sporty Hybrid, this may be that. Anyway, thought I'd pass it on.

400,000 Hybrids by 2012

Last year Honda sold just 55,000 Hybirds, the next four years Honda is looking to sell 400,000 Hybrids per year. A lofty but achievable goal, with the right product (ahem, Accord Hybrid [performance Hybrid or should they have come out with a Gas Miser Hybrid]). Toyota sold approx. 430,000 Hybrids last year. Honda plans on releasing three new Hybrids in the next few years, including a sports model and a family car.

Source: http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-targets-hybrid-sales-of-400000-per-year.html#more-6669

Honda's New Hybrid to be Shown this September at the 2008 Paris Motor Show

It's been no secret that Honda has plans of building a new Hybrid vehicle from scratch, so this won't be based on anything that is out there right now (although I could see it using the FIT's platform). This vehicle will be smaller than both the Civic and the Prius and will use a updated version of the IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) that kicks in and out to help acceleration.

Honda is targeting a lower price point for this model, to come in well below the current Prius and the Civic Hybrid.

New Hybrid Announced for Honda

Honda will launch a long-awaited, hybrid-only model in 2009. Honda plans on producing 200,000 of the new hybrids per year from the company's Suzuka plant in western Japan and will sell them initially in North America, Europe and Japan. They'll be equipped with a new lightweight motor which will assist the gasoline engine and be offered at a "more affordable price level" than currently available hybrids such as Honda's own Civic and Toyota's Prius.

That's just the beginning. Fukui also said that Honda is planning to launch its first-ever hybrid sports car, based on the CR-Z concept car that Honda first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. "The real full-scale hybrid competition will start from now," Fukui told reporters. He added that by 2010 around 10% of Honda's sales would come from hybrids

Further into the future, the company continues to look to fuel cell technology. Next summer the company will also begin leasing a small number of it's FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in Southern California. For $600 a month, customers will be able to drive the emission-free vehicle, which has a range of 270 miles.

Here's a link to the full article;

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2007/gb20071219_577749.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives

Honda's CR-Z Concept

This could be what some speculate the new CRX.

The Honda CR-Z is a lightweight, two-seater sportscar equipped with Honda’s petrol-electric hybrid IMA powertrain. Honda is looking at a way to create a lightweight sportscar that is fun to drive, but also good to the environment.

The CR-Z features the latest Honda hybrid IMA powertrain to deliver low emissions and impressive economy.

CRZ stands for Compact Renaissance - Zero.