Honda still plotting mid-engined sports car trio

S2000 successor with e-AWD tech from Pikes Peak CR-Z could slot in between S1000 and NSX in mid-engined Honda sports range

Why do we keep coming back to what Honda’s doing? And why should we care? Because with several high-profile launches under its belt and more to come, Honda is by far the most happening Japanese car-maker right now.

Emerging from a long performance product hibernation and several painful recalls with a bang, Honda last year launched a ground-breaking new Accord Hybrid and 660cc N-Box mini-car, followed by an all-new Legend flagship. Sadly, only the Accord Hybrid will be sold in Australia, from mid-June.

Then, earlier this year, Honda not only made its long-awaited comeback to Formula 1, but launched new versions of its Stepwagon and Grace mini-vans, and Japan’s hottest ever mini-car (kei-car), the turbocharged S660 sportster.

As we’ve reported, Australia can look forward to a meaner-looking, gutsier 1.0-litre turbo S1000 packing around 95kW by late 2016. Honda has also just started a world tour to introduce its radical new business plane, the HondaJet.

At this year's Tokyo motor show in October, Honda will finally reveal the production version of what it claims will be the world’s fastest front-drive coupe, the new Civic Type-R, which used its 228kW 2.0-litre turbo four to set a new front-drive production car lap record of 7:50 at the Nurburgring in Germany.

In an effort to stagger its hero-car launches, expect to see the final production version of the four-wheel drive hybrid NSX supercar in early 2016, after its official unveiling at the Tokyo show.

From what we’re hearing, that’s just part of the story. Honda is currently working on two other cars that kind of sit neatly between the NSX and S660 in terms of performance and price.

Yes, we are referring to reinterpreted versions of the CR-Z and S2000, and if these two artist’s impressions from Japan's Best Car magazine prove accurate, the CR-Z successor (pictured in blue) and born-again S2000 (white) should take Honda’s street cred to a whole new level.

With its mild 1.5-litre hybrid system, the previous CR-Z might have looked the real deal with its sharp, wedge-shaped styling, but it did not deliver on the performance side. Honda plans to change all that with a radical new CR-Z prototype destined to blast up the legendary Pikes Peak hill climb in June.

Japan’s third largest car-maker has taken a current model CR-Z and fitted it with four electric motors — technology inherited directly from the Legend’s rear-motor SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system, but now extending to motors on both the front and rear axles.

Entered in the Challenge Exhibition category, the Pikes Peak CR-Z "is a prototype that Honda has created to test how electric drive handles when pushed to the absolute limits,” says a source inside Honda.

This is nothing new for Honda, which introduced the electrified SH-AWD system in the Legend and will also incorporate it into the front axle of the NSX.

Honda's e-AWD technology will eventually permeate all of Honda’s sports models, but the system that powers the Pikes Peak CR-Z will not be a pointer to the production CR-Z.

“Do not expect to see the new CR-Z as a road-going version of the Pikes Peak car," said our source. "We are only using it as a racing test mule for an all-wheel-drive electric powertrain, one that will most probably not be used on the next CR-Z."

Boasting an updated version of SH-AWD, the Pikes Peak CR-Z will feature independently operating electric motors that not only distribute torque to all four wheels depending on demand, but also offer a new generation rear-wheel steer function that is said to enhance cornering speed.

It's understood Honda is currently evaluating a petrol-electric powertrain incorporating the same turbocharged three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine that will power the S1000, paired with an electric motor to develop a total power output of 162kW.

Such a powertrain would be ideal for the CR-Z, but a replacement for the discontinued compact coupe appears far from certain.

“Truth be known, our engineers might be working on a more efficient electric four-wheel drive system in the Pikes Peak CR-Z, but that will not directly lead to a road-going all-electric CR-Z. We still need to evaluate exactly where a new CR-Z would fit into our sports car hierarchy,” said our insider.

“I should tell you that while we are looking at the potential of electric 4WD in the Pikes Peak CR-Z, the powers that be in our R&D section are leaning strongly towards channelling development funds away from the CR-Z and into an S2000 successor.”

We've written about a mid-engined replacement for the original S2000 before, but if it eventuates it would slot perfectly between the NSX at the top of Honda's line-up and the S660 at the lower end, filling the hole in between and giving the company a direct rival for mid-size sports cars like the Porsche Boxster and Cayman.

A born-again S200 would also make Honda the first car-maker to offer a threesome of mid-engined sports cars spanning such a wide price band, from about $30,000 for the S1000 to potentially over $200,000.

While the NSX will knock horns with the Porsche 911 and the S1000 would give the Toyota 86, Mazda MX-5 and Alfa 124 a run for their money, a reinterpreted S2000 could take the challenge right up to Stuttgart's mid-engined sports cars, as well as the Audi TT, BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Nissan 370Z.

The reincarnated S2000 successor would employ a mid-mounted four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine to drive the rear wheels but it's now believed it will, like the NSX, also incorporate a twin-motor system up front, making it all-wheel drive.

But what would power a new S2000? Our insider says engineers are currently evaluating a detuned version of the Civic Type-R's 2.0-litre turbo, but he adds that a smaller, more efficient 1.5-litre turbo engine/motor combination married to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission would generate at least 300hp (221kW) and bring the total cost to somewhere between $55,000 and $75,000.

Whether Honda gives the production green light for an S2000 successor — or indeed a new CR-Z — will, according to our insider, depend on how Honda's sales progress in the world’s two major markets: the US and China.

Another senior Honda engineer we spoke to recently says he really wants to make a mid-engined S2000. Here's hoping the company is successful enough in those markets to allow it to push the button on a born-again S2000 and create a tantalising mid-engined sports trio from Honda, or at least offer an affordable, more serious CR-Z.

Source;
http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015/honda/honda-still-plotting-mid-engined-sports-car-trio-50749

Car and Driver Magazine: Next Generation Honda CR-Z: 2018 Honda CR-Z: It Might Finally Be What We Wanted All Along

I said from day one that making the CR-Z a Hybrid was a mistake. Now can we please have a proper CR-X replacement? (--and how's that new Prelude coming?!?)

The two-seater trades weak hybrid power for a potent turbo.

by Peter Lyon of www.caranddriver.com

As of this writing, Honda is rapidly approaching its Formula 1 comeback as the power behind McLaren at the Australian Grand Prix, and the brand is also busy readying two of Japan’s most anticipated sports cars, the new NSX and the 2016 Civic Type R. Now comes news from inside Honda's R&D center in Tochigi that the unloved CR-Z hybrid sports coupe will get a new lease on life in the form of an all-new, more performance-oriented model in three years. 

Honda’s American arm has been pleading for a gutsy, attractive, and reasonably priced coupe to bolster its brand image, and a source with close ties to the Japanese mothership says the next CR-Z will be the answer. "Remember the CR-Z? It’s due to make a big comeback in 2017," we’re told. 

"The two reasons that forced Honda to phase it out [in Europe and Australia], namely its weak street cred and lack of performance thanks to its ho-hum hybrid power unit, have been addressed. The new coupe will be a force to reckon with," insists our source. 

The original model was based on a modified version of the Fit platform, but unlike the Fit, with its centrally located fuel tank, the CR-Z’s tank was repositioned at the rear. To keep costs down, the new CR-Z's platform will be borrowed from the next-generation Civic, but with four inches chopped from the wheelbase. 

Expected to be marginally bigger than the current CR-Z, the new model will borrow design cues from the new NSX and the Civic Type R. Under the hood will be a detuned version of the Type R's turbocharged, 2.0-liter VTEC four-cylinder pumping out more than 280 horsepower. In fact, it looks as if the CR-Z will be positioned and marketed as a high-performance coupe version of the next-generation U.S. Civic, which means it may be called the Civic CR-Z. 

While the U.S. version will be fitted with the 2.0-liter engine, Honda is planning to revisit the hybrid for the Japanese domestic market; that edition will employ a turbocharged 1.5-liter hybrid i-DCD powertrain generating upwards of 200 horsepower and incorporating an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

While it’s still some way out, we understand a CR-Z prototype or concept car may surface at the 2017 Detroit show in advance of an on-sale date sometime in early 2018.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2018-honda-cr-z-rendered-may-ditch-hybrid-for-new-turbo-news

Will the 2015 Honda Civic Type R Spawn the Next Generation Honda CRZ?

by  Viknesh Vijayenthiran of www.motorauthority.com

Honda is hard at work developing a new hot hatch with 276 horsepower derived from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four and directed to the front wheels only. The car is the latest version of the Civic Type R that the rest of the world enjoys, but as with the previous generation the new one will be skipping the U.S. market.

Part of the reason is due to our Civic being different to the one sold elsewhere. Furthermore, the Civic is seen as an econo car over here so Honda may be reluctant to launch a Civic-based model as its performance flagship locally.

But the U.S. is still Honda’s biggest market and the automaker will need some sportier models if it wants to rebuild its faded performance image and lure back buyers that may have opted for top models like the Ford Focus ST, Mazdaspeed 3, Volkswagen GTI and Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins.

That’s where a redesigned CR-Z, sharing a platform with the Civic Type R, fits in.

A source has revealed to Car Sales that Honda is keen to launch a redesigned CR-Z based on the bones of its 276-horsepower Civic Type R, should a second-generation CR-Z be approved for production. In fact, a prototype is alleged to have already been built.

The prototype version is said to feature a direct-injected and turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with the current CR-Z’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is also said to have replaced both the CVT and manual options of the current CR-Z. Peak output of this prototype is said to be around 221 horsepower, a significant leap over the current car’s paltry 130-horsepower rating.

Should production be approved, the car could be on sale within two years. Stay tuned for an update.

Source;
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1086960_will-the-2015-civic-type-r-spawn-the-next-cr-z

2013 Honda CR-Z Gets More Power, Updates for Europe; Changes Coming Here Soon

As the hybrid and plug-in hybrid wars have begun to heat up during the past year, it’s easy to forget Honda’s sporty and impractical CR-Z hybrid even exists. When the two-seat CR-Z was introduced to our market for 2011, we found it to be reasonably engaging to drive, albeit slow and a car that tried to satisfy both enthusiasts and hypermilers without total success. Apparently, consumers have had an equally lukewarm reaction to the little two-seater, snapping up roughly just 11,000 of them in 2011, and only 3461 more through September of this year. The CR-Z needs a shot in the arm, and Honda has given it one, at least for Europe, in the form of a light refresh and a power bump.

From Pokey to Plucky
Honda quietly debuted the updated-for-2013 CR-Z at the Paris auto show, and the company’s changes address a key complaint about the current car: its lack of power. Before this refresh, the CR-Z’s 1.5-liter four-cylinder and electric-motor combo was good for just 122 hp. For 2013, Honda has given both the gas engine and the electric motor a boost. The 1.5-liter four’s output increases from 113 hp to 119, and the electric motor is 7-hp beefier. As a result, combined power rises from 122 hp to 135, and peak torque swells from 123 lb-ft to 140. 

Okay, so 135 horses still isn’t going to unseat your average minivan in a stoplight drag race, but we’ll take any power increase we can get. Honda attributes the additional power to a reprogrammed engine computer, a revised variable valve-timing setup, and an updated crankshaft. The company also swapped the car’s nickel-metal hydride battery pack for a more modern lithium-ion unit; the move is responsible for the electric motor’s power bump. More accelerative fun comes by way of a new, F1 KERS–style Plus Sport boost setup, which gives the driver additional electric-motor assist with the push of a steering-wheel button. The feature is only operable if the battery has more than a 50 percent charge, and the boost lasts up to 10 seconds.

Honda claims the increased power exacts no fuel-economy penalty, and that the CR-Z’s 0-to-62-mph time drops by 0.7 second to 9.0. (A CR-Z we tested in 2010 made the trip to 60 mph in 9.6 seconds, so Honda’s performance estimate for the updated model seems just about right.) The current CR-Z fitted with a manual transmission is EPA-rated for a somewhat unremarkable 31 mpg in the city and 37 on the highway, figures that we expect will carry over to the 2013 version. (When fitted with the CVT, the CR-Z is good for 35/39.)

Long Live the Look!
One thing we dig about the CR-Z is the way it looks, and thankfully Honda made only minor changes in this regard. The coupe’s wedge-like shape and sporty stance carry over into 2013, but the Euro-spec front bumper has been restyled with larger intakes and fog light housings, as well as a tweaked grille that ditches the current car’s slats for a honeycomb mesh. The updated grille mercifully eliminates the CR-Z’s buck-toothed countenance by “floating” the front license-plate mount within the grille rather than hanging it from the opening’s top edge. Out back, Honda subtly massaged the rear bumper’s lower diffuser element with a few fresh edges and angles and some new reflector elements. 

The CR-Z may never materialize into a sales success for Honda, but these updates have the chance to inject more of the sport suggested by the car’s styling into the driving experience. When the CR-Z first went on sale, we noted that it was a car brimming with compromises by trying to be both sporty and efficient. The CR-Z was neither efficient nor particularly sporty—Honda’s own Insight and Civic hybrid are priced somewhat similarly to the Z and get better mileage and offer up a back seat—though it does drive massively better than a Prius.

Honda has announced that sales of the 2013 CR-Z in Europe will begin in January; company representatives tell us that many of the Euro model’s changes are coming here this year, but couldn’t specify which tweaks are headed our way. We hope that at the very least the power boost and nifty Plus Sport boost button make it to our shores.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-honda-cr-z-euro-spec-hybrid-photos-and-info-news