Global debut for Honda's hybrid sporty

You can have your cake and eat it too, says Honda. The sporty new CR-Z, which was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this week, recaptures the spirit of Honda's CR-X two-seater from the 1980s and 1990s. But the new car does so using just 5.0L/100km of fuel in combined-cycle testing.

The CR-Z is pictured here in Detroit, along with Takanobu Ito, President and CEO, Honda Motor (left) and John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. A hybrid, the CR-Z employs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine allied with an electric motor and a six-speed manual transmission to reduce fuel consumption without detriment to driving enjoyment, according to the manufacturer.

Broadly, the CR-Z runs in a parallel hybrid-drive system and emits just 117g/km of CO2 from the petrol engine. Peak power and torque for the petrol/electric drivetrain are rated at 91kW and 174Nm, of which, the electric motor contributes 10kW and 78Nm.

Hybrids with a manual transmission are a rarity, but the CR-Z, by relying on the electric motor to provide supplemental torque, is compatible with the transmission. It is, according to the manufacturer, the first instance ever of a hybrid-drive vehicle with a six-speed manual transmission going into production.

The acronym Honda applies to its parallel-hybrid set-up, as in the CR-Z, is IMA (Integrated Motor Assist). Previously, the company had offered an IMA version of the Civic with a five-speed manual transmission, but this vehicle never made it to Australia. The CR-Z will -- at some point in the future.

Honda offers the IMA system in the CR-Z with three different driving modes, one for economy, one for driving enjoyment and one that finds a balance between the other two modes. The three driving modes impact on climate control, idle stop/start, steering and throttle response.

Visually and dimensionally, the CR-Z is a small 2+2 with short overhangs. While it has the limited seating in the rear, it harks back in some ways to the original Insight of the late 1990s as a concept. There'll be more focus on driving satisfaction in the new car though, says Honda.

And buyers will take more pride in the car's striking looks, which incorporate a 'One-Motion Wedge' style featuring the low bonnet, wide track, (CRX-like) split-level rear glass and raked roofline.

When it arrives here (not for some time yet), the CR-Z will be 115mm shorter in the wheelbase than the Prius-rivalling Insight and the coupe's overall length will be 295mm shorter.

The Honda's next major public showing -- in European-market guise -- will be the 80th Geneva International Motor Show in March.

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