All About Japan Autos

Auto news; Honda CR-Z set for Geneva unveil First look at European-spec hybrid sports-car

Meet Honda’s sporty-hybird hoping to change the face of ‘green’ driving! This is the CR-Z, which will make its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will go on sale in the UK in the summer.

It’s billed as the world’s first hybrid sports car and is powered by the Integrated Motor Assist System, which is shared with the Honda Insight. A 1.5-litre engine with 102bhp is mated with a 20bhp electric motor to produce a total of 122bhp and 174Nm of torque.

With a focus on driver involvement, Honda has fitted the CR-Z with a six-speed manual gearbox and a 3-Mode drive system which allows the steering and throttle response to be switched between ECON, NORM and SPORT modes.

A sprint time of around 9 seconds may mean the CR-Z is left trailing by more traditional sports cars but the Honda trumps them with its 56.4mpg economy and 117g/km of CO2 emissions figures.

European-spec models come complete with a strip of 8 LED daytime running lights just beneath the headlamp.

Prices and an official release date will be confirmed at the Geneva Motor Show, but expect a starting price of around £17,000

A high performance Mugen version is likely to go on sale in 2011.