Honda CR-Z hybrid to get petrol engine option

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By Brett Davis | December 07th, 2010

Honda has announced plans for a petrol version of its sports hybrid model to enter key international markets. Honda is hoping the new model will expand the car’s appeal in other markets.

The current car, recently awarded Japanese Car of the Year, makes do with a 94kW 1.5-litre petrol/electric motor combination that is capable of pushing the coupe along from 0-100km/h in around eight seconds. The new, all-petrol motor will be a 1.6-litre turbocharged four cylinder, said to be available in two specifications; one outputting around 120kW and another outputting 150kW. This higher spec engine is expected to be reserved for the Type R variant that will be joining the lineup later next year.

Japanese sales of their own Car of the Year have dropped off a bit recently but Honda is hoping this new model will bring in some new customers that perhaps don’t want to take that step into making a hybrid purchase.

The new 1.6-litre motor is apparently under development at Honda’s Tochigi research and development centre and will be shared in some upcoming Jazz, Accord and Civic models, providing excellent fuel economy whilst still offering very reasonable performance.

Mark

Awesome. Honda are finally building something decent for the rev heads!
Jumbo

The only thing I can see wrong with it is Honda have never built turbo motors before.

Is this what Honda have to do to pass emissions regulations.
The other problem I can see is if manufacturers have to keep switching to turbos are we going to have no cars for the p platers to drive.

Iz

Actually, Honda have been building turbo engines for a while; the K-series received turbocharging in the past, and if Im not mistaken, there is an engine fitted to a US market Acura that is a turboed version of the Accord 2.4L engine.

j

Turbo K20/K24? From the factory? Really?

With the exception of the City Turbo, when has Honda made a turbo road car. Type R Hondas (Accord included) never had a turbo.

K20 (and thus the CTR) has been killed in Europe due to Euro emmissions regulations.

Unless of course, you’re referring to aftermarket turbos and superchargers- they don’t count.

As much as this sounds like epic win, it sounds like pure speculative bunk.

yowza

Most “P” platers who are attracted to and WANT turbo cars….shouldnt be driving them.

They drive like idiots and like douche bags, a lot of commodore P plater drivers are a nuissance enough… the ones driving turbos are prone to street racing, speeding at residential areas and driving like cockheads zig zagging in traffic.

I was a P plate driver I knew what I did wrong and now I am one of the adults on the road shaking my head when I see a P plater driving like a douche with his Commodore or his Automatic Skyline R33….

Moral is, No turbo until your off your “P”s or your 25+ years old. its for your own good.

Not to mention all these NEW 60-70K japanese turbo cars coming out…. unless Daddy is a rich man, these 18-21 years olds wouldnt be the target demographic…

troy

commodore drivers even try to race pedestrians, they are a disease on our roads!

tommo617

Honda hasn’t built turbocharged engines?

let me see…Williams-Honda FW11 of 1986/7…McLAREN-Honda MP4/4 (won 15 of 16 events in 1988)…Indycar engines…

Honda has a great deal of knowledge of high output turbo engines for racing use.
Jumbo

I meant more so in their road cars. I was unaware of the Acura car aswel..
Sorry

http://caradvice OSU811

what about the little honda city turbos???
there are some that have been imported to Australia as
grey imports!!

http://caradvice OSU811

The Honda City Turbo was a sport compact / hot hatch produced by Japanese automaker Honda between 1982 and 1986, based on the naturally aspirated Honda City AA. The City Turbo is one of a very few turbocharged Honda road cars. Other turboed Hondas include the V6 Honda Legend of the late eighties and the new turbocharged i-VTEC 2.3 L in the 2007 Acura RDX.

http://caradvice OSU811

Aaaahhhhh thats more like it HONDA!!!!
finally another sports car worth talking about!
FTSII

I can’t wait!
Mark

Yeah, I can’t wait till it hits the Jazz. Even the less powerful version at 120KW would be of great benefit.
vti07

Note “key international markets”. There is the possibility the petrol CRZ won’t be coming here…. On the other hand they should put the 1.6 turbo into the Jazz and Civic to re-inject some excitement into the range.
Owen Petersen

Love it! When do we get it? Finally they have realized that they need to have Halo cars. About time Honda remembered it’s roots and it history. Bring it on!
Shak

Yay! they did what we wanted, but i cant help but think to their own detriment? they built the CR-Z to be a Hybrid sports coupe, but no one really wanted it. So they build a Petrol version and find that everyone wants it but at the expense of shunning their own touted successor to the CR-X? it makes very little sense, unless they expect that people are gonna keep buying the Hybrid. The only way that will happen is if they can mysteriously boost power in the hybrid version? Hmm how do we do that.
Emray

This should be P Plate Legal, its perfect for young drivers needing to drive turbocharged cars & this is a great opportunity because its a little 1.6L 4 Cylinder Petrol/Electric Honda CR-Z Hybird! It doesnt have that power that you would expect from a bigger motor, by the way its not the car that causes the accidents its the drivers.