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An unknown builder is currently fabricating up a mid-engine Honda CR-Z, sporting a completely custom widebody and carbon fiber doors. While it may just be a concept car for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon, some rumors are hinting that this Honda CR-Z might be being built for the Japanese SuperGT racing series, competing in the GT300 class. Given how popular the CR-Z has already become in Japan, this would be a pretty cool move by Honda.
Currently Honda already competes in the GT500 class with the HSV-010 GT race car.
Obviously the CR-Z that any layman can buy is just a gas-saving, tree-hugging hybrid, but how wicked would it be to see this CR-Z actually perform on the track rather than just being a show car? We're really curious as to the powerplant that's being used as a mock up, especially as GT300 class cars make 300-hp. Stay tuned, this is one CR-Z we're staying on top of!
Honda has unveiled their Jazz Hybrid, which is sold as the Fit here in North America. We won’t be getting the Fit Hybrid in our part of the world, but it doesn’t look like we’re missing out on much.
With mileage comparable to a CR-Z, and a nearly $5,000 premium over a regular Fit, the car is hardly a value proposition. In fact, we’d wager that the only real benefit is that buying one will entitle Japanese market customers to take advantage of generous subsidies offered by the government on hybrid cars. But never say never.
The Fit Hybrid will debut at the Paris Auto Show in September.
Honda may drop both the Civic Hybrid and the Insight from its lineup in Canada. According to a recent report by Monvolant, the two hybrids will be eliminated from the product plan – likely in response to dismally poor sales. This would then leave the new CR-Z as the only hybrid in Honda Canada's lineup.
When the Insight launched over a year ago, Honda Canada projected sales of 10,000 units. But poor press, a high-dollar asking price and competition from the significantly more fuel efficient third-generation Toyota Prius may all be contributing factors to the fact that just 748 Insights have been sold so far this year. Worse still are Civic Hybrid sales, with just 643 units moved in 2010.
With such low Honda hybrid sales you'd expect the Prius to be conquesting a lot of buyers, but that doesn't appear to be the case with just 2,272 third-gen Prius models sold in Canada so far this year. While there are no hard facts surrounding why Canadians are turning away from hybrids, possible factors include the higher price of the cars in Canada, the lack of large urbanized cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal stand out as exceptions) and the colder climate often means hybrids don't perform up to their lofty MPG targets.
Part of the job here at AutoGuide is scouring the Web for cool content that interests any car enthusiast. While we try our best to stay on top of the news, it's always nice to check out various builder's creations, especially those we'd have a hard chance catching in real life. While sorting through some of our favorite blogs, we ran across this Austin Healey Sprite that sports a Honda S2000 motor under the hood!
For those that don't know much about Austin Healey's Sprite, it was in production from 1958-1971 and was intended to be a low-cost vehicle, but now we just love them for being a classic roadster with a real clean, vintage design. But spotting one with a new-age Honda S2000 motor under the hood is simply awesome. Considering that over four generations of Sprite models, the most powerful engine ever offered was a 65-hp 1.3-liter 4-cylinder, the 237-hp Honda engine should make this British roadster really go!
Sure some Sprite owners will probably find it sacrilegious, but we'd be lying to say we wouldn't mind having one of these in our own garage.
Honda's highly acclaimed Civic Type R will end its European sales run later this year after emissions regulations become too strict for the car's 2.0L engine.
12,000 Civic Type Rs have been sold since 2007, but Honda chose to remove the model from the European market rather than modify it to meet Euro V regulations. Despite being built in Europe, the car will remain in production at Honda's Swindon, England facility for export markets like South Africa and Australia.
A new Civic Type R is due for the 2012 model year, but Honda is set to honor current Type-R owners with a special outing at the Silverstone race track's British Touring Car Championship event at the end of August.
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