Honda makes Green Fun!

Jan 19 2010

Honda has been building production hybrids for a decade. In that time, a lot has been learnt about the production of electric motors and other key parts of the hybrid system used in vehicles like the Honda Insight Hybrid. This understanding has led to improved production equipment and techniques, which will reduce production costs. And because the major hybrid components are produced in-house, this also helps to control overall costs.

“Our engineers have shown great tenacity and skill in reducing the cost of our hybrid power system to allow us to reduce the build costs of the hybrid vehicles. By using so many components that are manufactured in-house, we have the ability in the market to continuously refine our processes in a way an outside supplier might not.” Yasunari Seki, Honda Large Project Leader.

The plan to produce and sell a much larger number of hybrid cars, including the Honda Insight Hybrid, the Honda CR-Z Hybrid and the newest addition to the family, the Honda CR-Z Hybrid Concept, than before leads to economies of scale and thus a lower final cost per unit. To achieve these numbers Honda not only has the refined mass market Insight in its stable, but has launched a sporty Hybrid with its new CR-Z Hybrid giving Honda Hybrid cars a far wider appeal across a spectrum of the market.

With its sleek lines and innovative styling you would be forgiven for thinking the Honda CR-Z is another traditional sports car. But you would be wrong. In fact it is the most recent prototype of a compact agile hybrid coupe using Honda’s Integrated motoring assist technology and when the production version goes on sale in the UK this year, it will be the worlds first sporty hybrid coupe, and the first petro-electric vehicle to have a six speed manual transmission!

With what looks like a short-ish wheelbase and a sporty design, the brand new Honda CR-Z Hybrid Concept is designed to attract a new type of buyer, one who wants the frugality of a hybrid but without the dorky image. It is one thing to develop an ultra-green product, that only the affluent can afford, but in its quest to be a company that society wants to exist, Honda challenged its engineers to build hybrid cars for everyone.

This really explains why Honda has also developed the Honda CR-Z Hybrid which is sportier than say the Insight Hybrid but enables hybrid cars to embrace a wider mass market than any other manufacturer has been able hitherto.

That is also why the main aim in the development to reduce the size, complexity and price of components and systems is to drive that final retail price down. Honda wants to bring hybrid technology to a wider market, but knows that the price, or the perceived price, of cleaner cars has prevented some car buyers from even looking at them seriously. Honda wants those people who’ve never considered buying a hybrid car to try one for size.