Honda CR-Z

Honda CR-Z is the world's first hybrid sport that presents itself as a world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show 2010, although the European version will be presented next March at the Geneva Motor Show.

This is a new concept car, the exclusive design and completely new, with a mechanical hybrid that combines a gasoline engine and an electric module in a chassis reinforced by the parallel hybrid IMA system.

A design marked by the future
The body of the new Honda CR-Z is marked by the future, with a very low hood line that provides a sporty image. It is the first model to incorporate the mark in the headlights of design features, a band of eight diodes to function DRL daylight.

The front bumper is notable for incorporating a large hexagon-shaped grid reversed, with horizontal strips of black plastic on the inside and that support portamatrículas anchorages.

The sloping roofline, along with the rear image feature is a shared solution Honda with many models of the past, especially the rear window in two levels or tailgate spoiler, a combination that can identify this new model as a coupe and also be configured as a major aerodynamic solution tends to reduce both fuel consumption and emissions. The design of the rear also closely resembles that of a Citroen C4 Coupe.

Interior for four people
Honda CR-Z has an internal configuration of 2+2 seater, with a few new seats in the rear that can be folded easily with one motion, increasing the luggage capacity when needed.

The interior has been developed based on the Honda CR-Z Concept, a design study presented at the Tokyo Motor Show 2007 and whose front of the cabin was designed by and for the driver, 3D equipped screens. The instrument panel, high-tech, puts the most used controls near the driver's hands, enabling full concentration on driving and reducing distractions.

The dashboard of the new Honda CR-Z is designed on two levels, in a manner similar to the Honda Civic, with high technology and sportsmanship.

Hybrid propulsion and reduced fuel consumption and emissions
Honda CR-Z engine equipped inline four-cylinder and 1.5 liter displacement that has been developed from scratch for the European market and has distribution system VTEC variable valve. Along with the electric motor, positioned between the engine and transmission, fourteen horses to 78.4 Newton meters of torque, develops a total power of 124 hp and maximum torque of 174 Newton meters, a figure identical to the force the Honda Civic 1.8.

CO2 emissions reach a unique value: only 117 grams per kilometer, while the average consumption in combined cycle is also of record: only five miles per gallon.

The electric motor provides an unusually flat torque curve with a peak that reaches only 1,500 revolutions per minute, a low figure for a naturally aspirated engine.

The world's first hybrid associated with a six-speed transmission
Honda CR-Z is the world's first hybrid car associated with a six-speed manual transmission. This combination has actually been made possible thanks to the exclusive IMA parallel system.

Three driving modes
Honda CR-Z features a unique system with three driving modes to adjust the direction, engine response and assistance of the IMA system to maximize the pleasure of driving. This is the 3-Mode Drive System.

This system allows the driver to choose between three driving modes that modify vehicle parameters such as throttle response, direction, idle time, control of temperature and level of assistance provided by the IMA system, enhancing the pleasure driving and the economy.

Toyota FT-CH

The American division of Toyota has just introduced at the Detroit Motor Show, the concept FT-CH, a hybrid indicates the strategic direction that the Japanese brand has started to broaden the range of conventional hybrid options to its customers, consisting of hybrid VHP and electrical plug BEV battery.

These models, will be available in the market from 2012, supplemented by new hydrogen-fueled vehicles in 2015.

Toyota FT-CH, the reinvention of the automobile
The development of the Toyota FT-CH as a vehicle of mass production means, as from now, the beginning of the reinvention of the automobile and, more particularly, of the propulsion systems that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of petroleum fuels. One of many possible alternatives is the electrification of the car, even the most successful example has been the hybrid gas - electric.

A compact family designed in Europe
The compact hybrid acronyms mean CH. Its length is fifty-six centimeters lower than a Toyota Prius, remaining below four meters (about 3.90 meters) long and only an inch less in width than the same hybrid model, so the ensures brand that offers easy handling, very agile.

Designed in the Design Center in Nice, France, has a spacious interior, with a maximum level of comfort and a futuristic style. The headlights have climbed to the top of the hood, just below the windscreen pillars, the side is completely clean, with rear door handles integrated into the car window, the style of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta or SEAT Leon, among other benchmarks.

In addition to these small dimensions, Toyota FT-CH is lighter than the Toyota Prius. Although we do not know more specific details about it, the final production model promises high levels of consumption and much lower emissions than the Japanese hybrid par excellence.