Minus a back seat, CR-Z will be at January's North American International Auto Show.
The Tokyo Motor Show is famous for its wild and wacky concept vehicles, but perhaps it makes sense, during the year that the show al but implodes, that the few makers still displaying at Makuhari Messe reveal concepts grounded more than ever in reality.
Like the Honda CR-Z, the latest take on the stylish, sporty hybrid coupe – but this one just a thinly-disguised version of the gasoline-electric vehicle soon to go into production. The big difference between show car and production model?
On the Tokyo stand, the 2010 Honda CR-Z concept is featured with a small rear seat. In the American edition, Honda confirms, it will be offered in just 2-seat trim. The changes from the gen-1 concept are modest, notably a more upright windshield and a higher roofline, which should make it possible for American drivers to actual sit inside the hybrid coupe. The gaping grille is one of the more sporty details held over from the original CR-Z concept, which was designed as a paean to the long-lamented Honda CR-X.
“The Honda CR-Z will expand our lineup of hybrid vehicles and reinforce the fun-to-drive values associated with the Honda brand,” Erik Berkman, vice president of Automobile Corporate Planning and Logistics for American Honda Motor Co., Inc., pronounced during the Tokyo news conference. “Beyond great styling and features, CR-Z will bring new levels of engagement and fun to customers interested a small car or a hybrid vehicle.”
The Honda CR-Z will reappear in production trim in January, at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, in Detroit. It will reach Japanese showrooms a month later and turn up Stateside by autumn as a 2011 model, the third hybrid in the Japanese maker’s U.S. line-up.