World's first HYBRID SPORTS CAR

       Uhh... it still looks like the original concept car...
       Yeah, except for some small details like the new rear bumper. That clearly shows the positive reaction Honda has received from the 2007 show car. Actually, the whole idea of the CR-Z is to launch a follow-up of the CR-X hatchback that was popular in the US during the late '80s.
       This is how it usually works with concept cars: come up with an early prototype to gauge public reaction, follow it up with a (very) nearproduction variation to drum up demand and launch it shortly after that.
       That's why the interior of the CR-Z you see here in this first pictures is remarkably the one you will see in showrooms. In fact, this is the biggest development of this so-called 2009 CRZ Concept (ignore the last word, if you need so).
       Wow! So Honda is making it...
       Definitely! That's what the company's top brass announced earlier this year, even though they haven't been specific about the launch date. But Motoring understands that the CR-Z will be launched in Japan next February after this final prototype is shown to the public at this month's Tokyo motor show.
       Honda intends to make the CR-Z its first sports car to get hybrid drivetrain. It follows the Civic Hybrid and Insight Hybrid. And it won't stop here; the Jazz will follow with a petrol/electric combination trailed by more offerings - just like archrival Toyota plans to do so in the next decade.
       Is the CR-Z getting Insight power?
       Technical information on the CR-Z is still being kept secret. Of course, the obvious candidate would be that from the Insight:88hp 1.3-litre petrol engine mated in parallel with electric assistance. But that system could prove a little to meek for the CR-Z's sporty nature. So in all likelihood the internal combustion engine could be sourced from the City/Jazz's:120hp 1.5-litre.Together with the battery-backed electric motors,power could reach 140hp.
       If you note the picture showing its interior,the CR-Z comes with a manual shiftstick to suit the sports car tradition. Hybrids usually come with CVT transmissions, but it is not known whether Honda will offer two-pedal setup for automatic-loving nations like Thailand.
       Since sports cars are driven usually harder than hatchbacks or saloons, Honda could be looking at another form of automatic transmission to suit the driving styles of CR-Z's customers.
       Are there only two seats like in the CR-X?
       Judging from its proportions, the CR-Z should maintain tradition. Since it is based on a truncated front-engine, front-drive platform of the Insight,which itself is already a small-ish B-segment car,it's highly unlikely that the CR-Z will have rear seats. You didn't hear CR-X owners screaming for them, right?
       So it'll be cheaper than the Insight?
       Not likely, mate. This is a sporty car, after all.So it could do with some image and right market positioning. Despite its B-segment size, the CRZ could wear C-segment prices to match specialties like the Volkswagen Scirocco, Volvo C30 and, to a certain extent, Mini.
       This means we are talking about B2-2.3m in Thailand including taxes. The Insight currently sells for B2m in the Thai grey market.
       And in case you might want to know, official imports of the CR-Z are unlikely because Honda Automobiles (Thailand) doesn't want to undertake sales of imported cars, fearing its large nationwide dealer network will have to bear increased spare parts costs and servicing complexities associated with hybrid-powered cars.
       But Toyota is selling the Camry Hybrid...
       True. But the Camry Hybrid is assembled in Thailand and is meant to be sold in large numbers.That's why the investment is more justified than in the case of Honda, which has yet to make a hybrid-equipped car on a scale similar to Toyota.
       Noteworthy, however, is Nissan's strategy to satisfy niche car buyers in Thailand, whereby it has entrusted 10 dealers around the country to handle sales and servicing of the 370Z sports car. In theory, this means these dedicated outlets could be selling more imported Nissans in the future.
       Mini-MPV preview
       Honda aims to make its next-generation MPVs more environment-friendly and versatile by previewing the Skydeck concept vehicle.Due to make its world premiere at this month's Tokyo motor show alongside the C-
       Z and EV-N, the Skydeck embodies the CR-Z's aggressiv-
       looking snout, headlights and aero-friendly bumper.
       Since it has three rows of seats, the Skydeck
       could preview the next-generation Stream-
       a mini-MPV whose sales have stopped in
       Thailand due to low popularity - with
       rear sliding doors for the first time.
       The engine in the Skydeck is unknown but could be a hybrid variation of the CR-Z. Honda has already made it clear that it wants to extend petrol/electric hybrid systems into as many production models as possible - just like Toyota.