Home » News » Honda » 2011 Honda CR-Z European Debut

2011 Honda CR-Z European Debut

European debut for the 2011 Honda CR-Z will take place at this year's Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland in March.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z has a 2+2 coupe style body and under the bonnet there is a 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine plus Honda's IMA hybrid system that enables low CO2 emissions (117 g/m) and a fuel consumption figure of 56.4 mpg.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z is the world's first 6-speed manual hybrid car and it features a 3-Mode Drive System that gives drivers the possibility to choose weather they like to maximise enjoyment, economy or a balance between the two.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z price will be announced at the time of the show and sales on UK's market will start this summer.

Honda press release :

Sporty hybrid coupe promises exciting driving dynamics

The European CR-Z hybrid coupe will make its world debut at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show in March. With sporty looks and agile handling, the CR-Z is the most exciting hybrid yet, promising driving thrills and a cleaner exhaust emissions package.

The CR-Z’s compact 2+2 coupe body and striking design is coupled with a responsive chassis to give nimble handling and direct steering, and a 6-speed manual transmission enhances driving enjoyment. Its clean, efficient petrol-electric hybrid powertrain not

only offers good fuel economy and a low exhaust emissions package, but also adds to the nippy driving characteristics of the car and means the CR-Z is well suited for use in urban environments.

    * World’s first 6-speed manual hybrid car
    * Wide track, short wheelbase chassis for agile and responsive handling
    * All-new, sporty, aerodynamic, 2+2 coupe form
    * 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine coupled to Honda IMA hybrid system
    * Emissions of 117 g/km** and fuel economy of 56.4mpg**
    * Unique 3-Mode Drive System to tailor steering, throttle response and IMA assistance as the driver requires
    * Flexible 2+2 seating arrangement in European models only
    * Daytime running lights (DTRLs) with eight LEDs that bring out the lower line of the sweeping headlights, exclusive to European models

“The CR-Z is a great-looking, sporty car – that’s also a hybrid,” said Tom Gardner, Head of Marketing, Honda (UK). “Kart-like handling and direct steering will make it great fun to drive, but the hybrid system means exhaust emissions are kept low. With the torque boost of the electric motor, it’s ideally suited to ‘point-to-point’ driving in British towns and cities.”
 
3-Mode Drive System
To maximise driver choice and enhance the day to day drivability of the CR-Z, it has a 3-Mode Drive System. This unique feature allows the driver to choose between three driving modes, which alter the responses of the throttle, steering, idle stop timing, climate control and the level of assistance provided by the IMA system.

The 3-Mode Drive System allows the driver to choose whether they wish to maximise enjoyment, economy or strike a balance between the two. The aim of Honda’s engineers was to give customers more choice in how the CR-Z would drive, depending on their needs and desires at the time.

Sport buttons have become commonplace in cars to offer drivers the choice between normal throttle response and a sharper response for more enthusiastic driving. Honda’s 3-Mode Drive System is far more than just a button to sharpen throttle response, with the behaviour of the hybrid drivetrain and the power steering assistance also changing between the three modes.
 
When the CR-Z driver is away from the town or city and wanting to enjoy their drive, they can put the coupe into SPORT mode. This sharpens the throttle response, changes the behaviour of the IMA hybrid system to provide more electric motor assistance and increases the weight of the electric power steering. Our engineers recognise that even cars designed to excite the driver may still be driven in heavy traffic where enthusiastic driving is not possible, or desirable. In these situations ECON mode can be selected, which prioritises fuel economy in the operation of the drive-by-wire throttle, ECU, air conditioning and the hybrid system. At all other times the car can be run in NORM mode, which provides a balance between performance, economy and emissions and suits most driving situations.

The ambient lighting of the speedometer is used in the same way as in the Insight, to guide the driver in driving more economically. In addition to the Eco Assist function, the CR-Z’s meter lighting is linked to the 3-mode drive system. Changing from red to blue and then green depending on whether SPORT, NORM or ECON is selected.
The CR-Z will go on sale in the UK in Summer and specifications and prices are likely to be announced at the Geneva Motor Show.

Also on stand
Honda’s Geneva motor show stand will also feature the FCX Clarity – Honda’s zero-emission fuel cell electric vehicle plus the latest 2010 CR-V, introduced earlier this year, and the current Jazz, Insight, Civic, Civic Hybrid and Accord models.

Tools
Add this page to your online bookmark site:

Related Articles

Leave a Comment

Fields marked with * are required
Name *:
Email *:
Comment *:
Code *:
  CAPTCHA

Related Specs

  1. 2007 Honda S2000 CR Concept

    Engine: Inline 4, Power: 176.7 kw / 237 bhp @ 7800 rpm, Torque: 219.64 nm / 162 ft lbs @ 6800 rpm
  2. 1994 Honda NSX GT2

    Engine: RX306 90 Degree V6, Power: 283.4 kw / 380.0 bhp @ 8000 rpmN/A
  3. 1965 Honda RA272

    Engine: Water-Cooled V12, Power: 171.5 kw / 230 bhp @ 1200 rpmN/A
  4. 2000 Honda S2000

    Engine: Inline 4, Power: 179.0 kw / 240 bhp @ 8300 rpm, Torque: 207.4 nm / 153.0 ft lbs @ 7500 rpm
  5. 2006 Honda S2000

    Engine: Inline 4, Power: 178 kw / Not Available bhp @ 8300 rpm, Torque: 221 nm / 163.0 ft lbs @ 6500-7500 rpm

New Vehicles

2010 Audi TT RS roadster and coupe
Audi's second debut today at Geneva is the 2010 Audi TT RS Roadster with the German car maker releasing photos and details of its coupe version as well. ...

Concept Cars

Hyundai Blue Will Concept
Waiting to be revealed at Seoul's Auto Show this year, the Hyundai Blue Will concept was introduced by the South Korean car manufacturer today while few ...

Custom Cars

Carlsson Mercedes E Class Coupe
German tuner Carlsson presents a new kit available for the Mercedes E Class Coupe, and so far performance figures were left untouched. The Carlsson Mercedes ...

Green Autos

Renault-Nissan Zero Emission Vehicle Partnership
The Renault-Nissan alliance announced their future plans to produce Zero Emission Vehicles badged by Nissan in United States in 2010. Also part of the ...

Future Cars

Honda CR-Z Concept closer to production
Honda has announced today its vehicle lineup that will be showcased at this year's 41st edition Tokyo Motor Show. One of the them is the Honda CR-Z Concept ...

Market News

2010 Lexus IS 350C F-Sport Price
The 2010 Lexus IS 350C F-Sport price was announced today as the limited edition model is scheduled to arrive in dealerships at the end of March. The 2010 ...

Gadgets

Vauxhall releases fashion accessories signed Jonathan Kelsey
Vauxall released a set of photos that reveal a luxury driving set inspired from the Great British Road Trip and created by shoe designer Jonathan Kelsey. ...

Various News

Opel Insignia design award
Opel just announced that it has won the prestigious "red dot" award for product design with its Insignia model. The red dot design prize is one of the ...

Videos

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster official promo video
The Lamborghini Reventon Roadster had its public debut at this year's IAA in Frankfurt and now the Italian hypercar manufacturer has released an official ...