More Powerful Honda CR-Z Will Be a Hybrid Says R&D Boss
Honda will build a more powerful version of the CR-Z sport hybrid and it will continue to be a hybrid, according to R&D boss Tomohiko Kawanabe.
Previous reports had suggested a CR-Z ‘Type R’ might toss the company’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system in favor of a turbocharger, but that will not be the case. Instead, the higher performance CR-Z might not be turbocharged at all.
In a recent interview Kawanabe admitted that the current model doesn’t “have the performance some customers expect,” and commented that while the addition of a turbocharger to the hybrid setup (like that found on the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept shown at last year’s SEMA Show) is an option, “a high-compression petrol engine would work better in tandem with a hybrid assist system.”
That news shouldn’t be surprising, considering Honda’s expertise in building naturally aspirated engines. With the possibility of a larger displacement block, the more powerful CR-Z is also likely to use an updated IMA system with a smaller, lighter and more powerful lithium-ion battery pack, enabling as much as twice the hybrid boost found in the current model.
GALLERY: Honda Hybrid R Concept
Read AutoGuide’s Honda CR-Z Review Here
[Source: AutoCar]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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