Correction: Honda Civic and Insight Hybrids staying in Canada

I didn't think this would happen....
Earlier this week a report originated from a Canadian news outlet that suggested the death of the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Insight hybrids starting with the 2011 model year.

Not true, says Honda, who explained to Green Car Advisor that the automaker fully intends to continue selling both models to our neighbors to the north – despite struggling sales numbers.
When Honda first launched its Civic Hybrid in Canada the automaker predicted around 10,000 annual sales of its greenest C-segment model. Yet, of the 34,604 Civics sold so far in 2010, a dismally low 643 have been in hybrid trim.

Although Honda North America has confirmed the Civic Hybrid and Insight for Canada for the 2011 model year, don’t count out a reconsideration next year should sales continue to flop.

Source;
http://www.leftlanenews.com/correction-honda-civic-and-insight-hybrids-staying-in-canada.html

Honda's latest is sexy, green and an Internet hit

The 2010 Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe is one of the most eagerly anticipated new cars, so much so that a Japanese consumer brochure has been leaked and posted on the Internet, where it's drawn hundreds of thousands of hits.

The manufacturer seems out to prove that green cars can also be sexy in the looks department. The final design is much the same as the concept version revealed last year, with some minor changes not immediately evident in the brochure.

The brochure reveals that the CR-Z is powered by a gas-fuelled 1.5-litre i-VTEC internal combustion engine that produces 114 hp at 6,000 revs as well as 145Nm of torque at 4,800 revs. The engine operates with a 14-hp electric motor with an output 78Nm of torque, matched to a six-speed manual transmission.

The CR-Z is expected to go on sale in Japan by February 2010, shortly before its launch in other major world markets.

-Viridian Joule hardly rolls off the tongue but in an online contest by General Motors, it garnered more than 3,000 votes as the signature colour for the new Chevy Volt electric/ gas car set for launch next year.

It also won the man who came up with the paint name, David Thomas of Florida, the first opportunity to drive a pre-production version of the new family sedan.

"I looked at the photo of the Volt on the contest website and thought it looked emerald in color, which led to jewel and then to an alternate yet appropriate play on that word -joule [a unit of electrical energy]," said 40-year-old Thomas.

Chevrolet also selected "EVergreen," offered by Devin McQuarrie, 30, and "environMINT," entered by Matthew Valbuena, 30, both of California.

"When our Volt marketing materials arrive in dealerships, you'll see 'Viridian Joule'as the official name of the silver exterior with an emerald hue," said Maria Rohrer, Global Volt and Global Marketing Director at Chevrolet.

The Chevy Volt is an electric vehicle capable of driving up to 100 kms between fill-ups on electricity. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted, an engine/generator operates to extend the range to about 480 kilometres before refueling or recharging is necessary.

-Fiesta Movement agents and their Twitter friends gathered at the Palladium in West Hollywood to set a new Guinness World Record for the "most attendees at a tweetup"

A tweetup is any gathering of two or more people who know each other through Twitter, and this unprecedented event brought together Fiesta Movement agents and Twitter friends.

Ford's Fiesta Movement Awards Celebration provided attendees with a sneak peek of the North American Fiesta.

100 young folks are test driving and living with a European-spec Ford Fiesta for six months, travelling as agents on special missions. They then go on to relate their experiences through a variety of social media sites.

These agents -picked from online contestants across the U.S.-have travelled more than 2.25 million kilometres and generated more than 6 million YouTube views, nearly 740,000 Flickr views and more than 3.7 million Twitter impressions of the car.

"Time and again, our Fiesta Movement agents have shown how social media, adventurous spirit and unbridled enthusiasm can bring people together in new, exciting ways," said Connie Fontaine, Ford brand content and alliances manager. "Never before has a group of car owners created such a sustained buzz for a new car."

Source;
http://www.kelowna.com/2009/12/11/hondas-latest-is-sexy-green-and-an-internet-hit/

Hybrid version of Honda CR-ZX coming to the Tokyo Motor Show

Due to the success of the recently launched Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, it appears that Honda wants to be the first Japanese manufacturer who is launching a hybrid sports car. The new vehicle which will be based on the Insight, represents a second series of the CR-ZX, and according to Best Car Magazine will make its official debut at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Under the hood, the new vehicle will feature a 1.3-liter (possibly 1.5-liter) engine capable to deliver an incredible fuel consumption of just 3.6 l/100 km. More details to be revealed! Also check the news about the hybrid successor of the Toyota Supra!

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/hybrid-version-of-honda-cr-zx-coming-to-the-tokyo-motor-show/

2011 Honda CRZ: 21st-Century CRX

Honda's CRZ hybrid coupe remains on track as a 2011 model, on sale in late 2010. Honda wants sports-car enthusiasts to buy it not because it's green, but because it's fun. The carmaker considered doing a non-hybrid version of the CRZ, but it desperately wants to be seen as a hybrid supplier on par with Toyota and believes it needs a range of dedicated hybrid-only models to achieve that.


So the CRZ gets a lively 140-horse, 1.8-liter Civic-derived engine. The IMA system -- motor, battery, electronics -- will be like the Insight's, as will the platform, to save cost. A senior engineer says, "It must be fun to drive, must remind you of the original CRX." And a manual gearbox will be offered. "CVT is fine for the market, mostly. But we are Honda! We must have a manual!"

As a two-seater, the CRZ's smaller body mass versus the Insight should make up for the weight of the bigger engine, brakes, and tires. So a 2800-pound total, with lots of electric-assist torque and a revvy gasoline engine, should make it the real deal as a pocket performance coupe.
Honda has trimmed back its sports cars. President Takeo Fukui said the company has canceled the Acura NSX replacement, though engineers say it may simply be deferred. And the rear-drive Acura range has been canceled. Honda is out of Formula 1. So the CRZ must be to Honda in the 2010s what the CRX was to Honda in the 1980s.

The other leg of Honda's small-car hybrid tripod, the Fit hybrid, also is going ahead for a '10 release. To give the Insight a lower overall height than the Fit, for reduced aero drag at highway speeds, the fuel tank was moved from under the front seats in the Fit to under the rear seats in the Insight. Speeds in the EPA test aren't high enough to make aerodynamics a factor, so the Fit hybrid may match the Insight's fuel economy label, and offer more space and versatility, for less money. It will interesting to see how the marketing guys handle that one.


Source;
http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2009/112_0904_2011_honda_crz/index.html