The Honda CRZ came first in the 'Most Economic and Environment Friendly Sports HEV' category at the first RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge on Saturday 6 November.
Entrants started the challenge from Madeira Drive in Brighton, finishing at Pall Mall in London. Cars had to be driven around the 60 mile route in reverse, and the mission was to complete the event with the least energy impact. Entries were measured in various modes for the energy used during the drive.
Official pictures have been released of the Honda CR-Z concept, the first hybrid with seriously sporting pretensions.
Honda is set to unveil it at this year's Tokyo motor show in late October and, despite the 'concept' tag, Honda sources say that it's nine-tenths production ready and will be in UK showrooms by the summer of 2010.
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Honda shows new Honda CR-Z concept car at Tokyo Motor Show.
CR-Z stands for Compact Renaissance Zero - an expression intended to capture the idea of a renaissance in the design of compact cars that begins anew from fundamentals. This design research model of a lightweight hybrid sports car features advanced technologies that deliver enjoyable driving for all while reducing the vehicle's environmental footprint.
Honda's CR-Z - the world's first sporty hybrid - has impressed judges at Stuff magazine, Japan Car of the Year and the RAC Future Car Challenge to collect three top accolades in just seven days.
On Tuesday, the hybrid coupe beat tough international opposition to become Japan Car of the Year 2010-2011. This is the 11th time a Honda car has collected the prestigious honour - making it the most successful manufacturer in JCOTY history.
Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor, said:
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Honda's new CEO, Takanobu Ito, has announced plans to begin sales of the CR-Z hybrid car in Japan in February 2010. Ito also mentioned that details of a UK release date for the new hybrid will be announced towards the end of 2009.
The Honda CR-Z is the company's sportiest hybrid model yet, with Honda giving it more power and performance than the Insight in a bid to improve the image of hybrids.
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Top Gear has crowned the Honda CR-Z their 'Green Car of the Year' in the magazine's fiercely contested annual Awards. This new trophy brings the total to four awards in as many weeks for the world's first sporty hybrid.
The CR-Z's blend of sporty looks, agile handling and good fuel efficiency allowed it to deal with the bustling back streets of the Third Ring district in China to win over the judges at Top Gear.
Top Gear summed up:
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Honda (UK) and MUGEN Euro have revealed the first official photographs of the CR-Z MUGEN - the higher-performance hybrid coupe.
Development of the supercharged Honda CR-Z is on track, with performance figures already looking promising. Early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60mph times around that of the Civic Type R.
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The Honda CR-Z has been rated one of Europe's safest cars, achieving a maximum 5-stars in the latest independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP's rating scheme focuses on the vehicle's overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids.
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MUGEN of Japan has built a CR-Z MUGEN RR design concept to demonstrate MUGEN's capabilities in terms of function, style, performance and agility. The CR-Z MUGEN RR was produced by M-TEC in Japan for show purposes only and there are currently no plans for further production.
The CR-Z MUGEN RR has been created with many bespoke prototype parts, several of which are created in carbon fibre, including the bonnet, passenger doors and rear tailgate. Other features unique to the car include a full length carbon-fibre underbody, a twin central-exit exhaust, vented front bumpers and race-developed suspension. Orange 4-piston monobloc brake calipers and forged 18-inch alloy wheels both complement the vibrant Valencia Orange Pearl exterior paint work.
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The restructuring of Honda's new model programme that led to the death of the new Honda NSX is much more extensive than previously thought. Honda is completely dismantling its plans for the next two years as it attempts to deal with the decline in new car sales across the world.
Among the casualties of Honda's rethink are a range of rear-wheel-drive cars to be sold under the Acura brand, a proposed V8 engine, a successor to the Honda S2000 and a convertible based on the forthcoming Honda CR-Z coupé.
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The CR-Z MUGEN is to be supercharged and deliver around 200PS. MUGEN Euro's tuned Honda CR-Z remains on course for its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
MUGEN has revealed that the high-performance CR-Z hybrid will use a supercharger to deliver over 50 per cent more power and torque from the Honda's petrol-electric drivetrain. The tuned version of the hybrid coupe is expected to produce around 200PS, and 181lb.ft of torque, with significantly enhanced performance throughout the rev range. The car retains the Honda IMA electric motor and the original 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine, which has been rebuilt to MUGEN specification with bespoke upgraded and strengthened internal components.
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MUGEN Euro is developing a highly-tuned version of Honda's CR-Z, which will deliver Type R-like performance from the hybrid's petrol-electric powertrain - and may offer even better fuel economy. This faster, more powerful car will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
The CR-Z MUGEN will feature enhancements to both the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system to boost power and torque, while bespoke brakes and suspension will be fitted to improve the chassis dynamics.
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The Small Hybrid Sports Concept is a compact sports car that features advanced hybrid technology – proving stylish design and driving enjoyment can be combined with low environmental impact. It was designed by Honda R&D Europe, based in Offenbach, Germany.
it will take hybrids into mainstream motoring
John Kingston, Environmental Manager, Honda UK.
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Honda plans to boost its hybrid car sales with the launch of a new accessibly priced model next year, which it expects to sell 200,000 units of annually. The announcement came from Honda Motor Co CEO Takeo Fukui's mid-year address. The company will seek to further accelerate its hybrid sales by introducing a hybrid based on its Honda CR-Z, a new Civic Hybrid and the addition of a Jazz Hybrid model. With all four of these models, Honda expects combined annual sales of its hybrid models to reach 500,000 units.
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Honda has announced that the Honda Prelude will be returning to the UK, to celebrate 25 years of its hybrid pioneering success, and will make its first public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 11th to 14th July 2024.
Continue reading below to watch a video on the new Prelude concept and to learn more about Honda's 25 years of Hybrid performance:
Cyclist Ed Clancy, gymnast Beth Tweddle, javelin thrower Goldie Sayers and swimmer Jazmin Carlin have joined with Honda (UK) to form the Power of Dreams Team to inspire others to follow their ambitions.
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Official pictures of the UK-spec Honda Insight hybrid have leaked onto the web ahead of this weekend's Detroit motor show.
The UK version of Honda's new 'affordable hybrid' differs only slightly from the production-ready US model unveiled at the end of last year, with new clear indicator lenses and conventional round fog lights.
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Honda has announced that it will discontinue production of the S-2000 sports car by the end of June 2009. The S-2000 is still a highly respected sportscar, and this truly marks the end-of-an-era. It is believed that the credit crunch, the moving environmental goals, and the eagerly anticipated launch of the hybrid Honda CR-Z have combined to bring about the demise of the S-2000.
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More than 25,000 people soaked in the fantastic sights from the top of the Honda Eye, the 40-metre high, 24 pod ferris wheel, experiencing Goodwood as they've never seen it before.
Queues formed every day for the free-of-charge attraction before it officially opened at 9am and it continued to pull in crowds until it took its last flight on Sunday evening.
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Three of Honda's cleanest cars will compete in the very first RAC Future Car Challenge in November. The new Honda Jazz Hybrid has been entered in the Brighton to London event, alongside the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity fuel cell car and a sporty hybrid CR-Z.
Starting at Madeira Drive in Brighton, the Future Car Challenge uses the traditional 60 mile veteran car run route, but in reverse. The three Honda cars will be retracing the route taken by Honda Motor founder, Soichiro Honda, when he tackled the London to Brighton event in 1985.
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Honda has announced a line-up of concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show, including concept commuter vehicles designed for easy and fun mobility, and a new sports concept, hinting at the design direction of future models.
Concept models include:
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Honda will be boosting its hybrid line-up in 2010 with a petrol-electric Jazz.
The world's first hybrid supermini will be powered by the same mechanicals as the forthcoming Insight hatchback.
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Honda is introducing two firsts at Goodwood Festival of Speed; the Honda Eye, a 40-metre high, 24-pod giant ferris wheel and the official debut of the CR-Z MUGEN.
The Honda Eye will enable visitors to experience widespread views of the Goodwood Estate and the beautiful surrounding areas of West Sussex. The Eye will be open throughout the Festival, running in 10 minute rotations from 9am - 6pm. Car enthusiasts can queue for multiple rides on the attraction, free of charge.
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Honda has announced that it has been presented with one of the first Euro NCAP Advanced rewards at Paris Motor Show. Honda's CMBS technology has been recognised as amongst the best safety innovations, offering research proven benefits, by Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP Advanced is a Euro NCAP initiative in response to the rapid development of new safety technologies available when buying cars for which there is no independent assessment. Euro NCAP Advanced is open to any technical system that has a demonstrable safety benefit, whether it is primary, secondary or tertiary, as long as it is available as an option on one of the Euro NCAP tested cars and not already addressed by the current star rating.
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A hybrid version of Honda's much-loved Jazz will make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, bringing lower emissions and improved fuel economy to the practical supermini.
The introduction of Honda's petrol-electric IMA system to the Jazz, makes the car the world's first B-segment hybrid.
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Honda unveiled the all-new Fit (Jazz) EV Concept electric vehicle and the platform for a mid-size plug-in hybrid vehicle. Both vehicles are integral to the Honda Electric Mobility Network, the company's comprehensive approach to reducing CO2 emissions through innovative products, energy management and energy production technologies.
The Fit EV Concept hints strongly at the direction and styling for Honda's upcoming production Fit EV all-electric vehicle, which will be introduced to the US and Japan in 2012. The all-new plug-in hybrid platform showcases Honda's next-generation, two-motor hybrid technology set to debut in 2012.
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Honda (UK) is continuing to make new car ownership more affordable by adding three years' complimentary servicing and a range of flexible finance options to selected new cars until the end of March 2011. Honda is also easing the pain of the New Year VAT rise by absorbing the price increase for customers throughout January.
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Honda's ground-breaking hydrogen fuel cell car, the FCX Clarity, has made its debut on UK roads, in the first of a series of high-profile test drives to raise awareness of the zero emission technology.
Business Secretary, Vince Cable, was one of the first to drive the world's only production fuel cell electric car following a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street.
He said:
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