Right after the Toyota press conference, everyone made a beeline for the Honda stand to hear about another hybrid car, the Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept. Despite its inefficient name, the Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept is intended to be a highly efficient car. "It fuses advanced hybrid technology and a fun-to-drive spirit in a sleek aerodynamic design," Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., told the crowd.
After the unveiling, we pressed Honda product officials for more specifics. Evidently, the HSHSC came out of the same project that spawned the Remix concept car shown in L.A. last November. The American and European design teams were given the same basic parameters -- create a small front-wheel-drive coupe with a four-cylinder gasoline engine/electric motor hybrid system and a CVT. The company's Torrance, California, studio created the Remix. The Europeans, based in Offenbach, Germany, built the HSHSC. The idea is that these concepts will lead to a single future production car that would be sold in both the U.S. and European markets.
Although we know very little in the way of technical specs (since this is after all a one-off wood car and, thus, nondrivable), Honda does list overall length (157.5 in.), wheelbase (92.5 in.), width (69.3) and height (50.0 in.). These dimensions are actually quite close to the discontinued Honda Insight, though the HSHSC is a couple inches wider.
We're guessing the concept has a wider track, too. And Honda says it has a "sport suspension." The wheels measure 20 inches.
The idea of the Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept is obviously to build a smaller, more affordable, more entertaining hybrid car that maybe, just maybe, the 18-34s will think is cool. And the HSHSC does look cool when you see it in person, but it strikes us as less personable than the Remix and we're not fond of that Corvette-inspired butt. That said, the idea of creating hybrid cars that are more than the sum of their fuel-efficient technology is a good one.
"We think that if you want to reduce the environmental footprint of our activities around the world, the only way to do that is through volume," Christoph Rust, a product PR manager for Honda Motor Europe, told us. "We want to build affordable hybrid cars that appeal to a wide audience." --Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
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Hey look, the same crack pot designers working on Toyotas concept vehicles are moonlighting at Honda. That's just a horrible design & concept. From the rear it looks like a sledge hammer, side view is all tires and 3/4 rear view shows it's open wound like tail.
I think it could look good if cleaned up a bit for production. They obviously designed this one in a wind tunnel, and that's OK for a hybrid.
If it really is sporty, call it the CRX.
I like it, especially the rear window.
What is happening at Honda/Acura?! There last few designs have been horrible. This is no exception.
i think they're trying to revamp the Insight. I heard a rumor that the Euro Civic Type R (I doubt the type R part) is making it's way to the US as the new CRX, and it looks more CRX-like than this. So, I hope this isn't it.
Does anyone here even remember what the rear of the CRX looked like? Obviously not. The rear of this concept looks strikingly similar to the rear of the CRX.
http://sterlingwallace.tripod.com/images/Crx_800.gif
There's some proof.
The only thing I don't like is the front end. Some concept cars are just too expressive and this vehicle has a bad case of "over-expressionism" on the front end. It obviously wouldn't make production like that, so the hopes of the front end changing is not in vain.
Overall, good concept.
is that a one-seater? i like the remix better...
157" long with a 92" wheelbase? The wheels look pretty far out to the corners for that kind of difference.
The front end looks too much like an Acura concept which I would consider a very bad thing. The back looks ok. I would love to see the CRX come back. Maybe that's why I like this concept (previous comments aside), because it takes so many cues from the CRX.
I currently own a MY 2000 Insight. The car works well within its design parameters(limitations?)...Any new technology that maintains current (or better )MPG and improved performance is fine by me! As for the styling this is the 21st Century and if Honda follows its usual conservitism the production version will no doubt be"toned down" a lot! (Addendum) as far as comparing the Remix to the Sport Hybrid. The Remix is more visually appealing ,but; the Euro concept does show some Teutonic influences that I also like.