Honda’s latest offering for you tree huggers environmentally engaged citizens out there is the FCX Clarity, a zero-emission, hydrogen powered fuel car that gets some impressive mileage stats. Honda tells us that the FCX Clarity will get a combined fuel-economy of 68mpg with a vehicle range of up to 270 miles! Based on Honda’s new V Flow fuel cell platform, the company announced plans to begin limited retail marketing of the vehicle in the summer months of 2008.
How much is it gonna cost? I couldn’t really tell you, to be honest. Full details of the production and limited retail sales won’t actually be announced until much closer to launch. I can tell you that current plans consist of a three-year lease term with a price of $600 per month, including maintenance and collision insurance.
Now my only question is WHY MUST IT LOOK LIKE A PRIUS?!
[Source: eGMCarTech]
Honda has confirmed plans to build a production version of the CR-z hybrid sports car. We reported earlier that the CR-z was considered a successor to the highly popular compact sports coupe, the CRX from a few years back. Though no dates were given by Honda execs as to when the car would hit the sales floor, sources close to Honda have suggested a launch between late-2009 and mid-2010.
At the Tokyo Auto Show, Honda’s execs explained that their vision of the production CR-Z will be a compact, lightweight sports car powered by the latest iteration of Honda’s hybrid IMA powertrain, promising to deliver low emissions and fuel consumption figures, without sacrificing performance potential.
We’re pretty stoked that this concept will see the light of day as a production model, but we’re guessing that some aesthetic changes will have to be made first in order for this vehicle to become consumer friendly. Check back on Driver’s Life for more details!
[Source: Car Scoop]
The concept car pictured here is called the CR-Z, a nod to the nomeplate adorning Honda’s venerable granddaddy of the sport compact scene, the CRX. Honda will unveil the CRX predacessor at the Tokyo Auto Show in a few weeks, though they insist the CR-Z stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero.”
The exterior is designed with the intent to be futuristic and dynamic. Admittedly, this has to be one of the cleaner concepts to come from Honda in the last few years. With an aggressive yet sporty stance, and beautiful profile lines, the CR-z looks simply stunning, although it doesn’t immediately evoke the thought “this must be a Honda.” Perhaps due to the fact that the front fascia does not carry the immediately recognizable Honda grille.
The powertrain for the CR-z is likely sourced by the current Honda Civic hybrid, suggesting that this car will be environmentally friendly. The car should be pretty light too given its relatively diminutive dimensions, which means it will probably be a blast to drive through the twisties.
We have Honda’s press release and a few more hi-res images after the jump.
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You may recall a previous post regarding the Honda test mule spotted in the ‘Ring. There were a few spy shots showing off a frankenstein S2000 with some peculiar changes to it. Well, now there is also a video of the same car, and its pretty evident by the audio, that aint no 4 banger engine underhood! According to some sources, Honda’s SH-AWD is being put to good use in this mule and will find its way into the production version. We’re a little sad to hear that Honda may choose not to revive the ‘NSX’ monaker. *sigh*
Oh well, perhaps this video will cheer us up!
[Source: Edmonds]
(Photo by KGP Photography)
While this car may appear like a chopped up S2000, we’d implore you to take a closer look. 4 tailpipes, a makeshift hardtop, and some large wheels seem to suggest that there is much more to this car than meets the eye. Spotted making its rounds on the Nurburgring, many people are starting to speculate that this car might be a test mule for that Honda v10 engine we mentioned here a few days ago. This, of course, is the engine Honda is planning to use on their next gen NSX. These images have led to questions of where the engine will be places, as well as what drivetrain Honda/Acura will choose to use. Mid engine AWD? Front engine RWD? Who knows? Keep checking Drivers Life for the updates!
[Source: http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/2798]
We decided to have some fun tonight at Drivers Life so we compiled a list of 5 sporty, fun, yet affordable cars that would be worthy of parking in our garages.
Our decisions factored in pricing, performance, and style. For clarification, we considered anything under $30,000 USD affordable. You may not find any Porsche’s on the list, but don’t let that stop you!
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Looks like Honda is at it again! The new Acura NSX is rumored to have a 5.0L v10 with a power output pegged at 500hp. That in itself is impressive, with the engine achieving 100 horses per liter of displacement. That’s something you used to only be able to find in Ferarris. But perhaps even more impressive is Honda’s aim to make this car fuel efficient. That’s right, they are aiming to get 23.5 mpg out of this thing. If they are successful, they will find themselves at the top of the supercar list for fuel economy. The previous generation NSX had a significantly smaller engine and lower power output, but was still only able to achieve 20mpg. Even that was respectable compared to other vehicles in that category.
As a side note, when Honda’s now venerable Vtec engine first made its debut in the 1990 NSX, it was pushing the envelope for performance potential with great fuel economy. Do we detect a trend here?
