Burlapp Fine; 2012 Euro Honda Civic?

Not too sure what to think about this one, the front doesn't go with the body in my opinion....
Source;
http://www.burlappcars.com/2011/06/2012-euro-honda-civic.html

Woodyscarsite Find: 2012 Toyota Camry Illustration?

Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/06/2012-toyota-camry.html

Honda: Operating profit forecast not conservative

TOKYO: Honda Motor Co's annual operating profit forecast is not conservative given yen strength and rising raw materials prices, the automaker's chief financial officer said on Tuesday.

"I don't think assuming 80 yen to the dollar is conservative at all," Fumihiko Ike told a small group of reporters. "The same goes for raw material prices," he said.

Japan's No.3 automaker this month forecast a worse-than-expected 65 per cent fall in annual operating profit to 200 billion yen ($2.49 billion) for the year to March 2012 and projected a 6 per cent drop in global car sales to 3.3 million vehicles.

Many analysts consider its guidance overly conservative.

Source;
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/honda-operating-profit-forecast-not-conservative/articleshow/9021763.cms

2012 Honda CRV website up and running

Shrawan Raja of the sites below was kind enough to send a 'heads up' to the new 2012 Honda CRV teaser site up and running here http://automobiles.honda.com/2012-cr-v/

http://indianautosblog.com
http://indianmotosblog.com
http://steeringnews.com
This is straight from Shrawan's site;

Here’s what the website says -

With a new design—both inside and out, new features and new possibilities, the 2012 CR-V will set a new standard for the class. As a top-selling crossover for over five years, expectations for the 2012 CR-V are high and we’re confident they will not only be met, but exceeded. Much more will be revealed over the next several months so be sure to sign up on this page to receive updates.

The new CR-V is a crucial model for Honda in India as the 20-30 lakh rupee crossover/SUV space is prone to a lot of tussling. The Chevrolet Captiva, BMW X1, Toyota Fortuner and the Renault Koleos are very desirable cars and feature-packed and stylish enough to take away limelight away from the Honda. The lack of a diesel engine is hurting its sales in India. In America however this won’t matter as the market share of diesel cars is not considerable.
It is said that the new CR-V (codename 2WS) will arrive with a 4-cylinder gasoline engine producing 180 – 220 horsepower. A hybrid variant is reportedly another development exclusive to the Japanese and American markets

The incoming model according to reports online will be marginally shorter (4,535mm x 1,820mm x 1,685mm as opposed to the current model’s 4,575mm x 1,820mm x 1,680mm (L*W*H respectively) ) and slightly more fuel economical.

Source:
http://indianautosblog.com/2011/06/2012-honda-cr-v-microsite-live#ixzz1QTwURi00

2012 - 2013 Euro Honda Civic's

Here are a couple of pic's of what may be in store for UK Honda, a Hatchback (like the 2002-2005 Civic SiR that we saw here) and the sedan version of the Civic?!?

Thanks for pointing this out Ron!

Source (via Ron);
http://visions-autos.sport24.com

Honda is the brand with fewest warranty claims, study says

UK warranty specialist MB&G states that the companies that filed the fewest number of claims for the past year are those from Japan and Korea. Honda has received the top spot in this study. MB&G noted that as drivers have decided to keep the cars until they’re in their fourth years or even up to six years, there are some drivers who will be surprised with the type of maintenance costs that they’d have to incur.

Kevin Pearce, a director of MB&G, said that modern day cars are “reliable” but that errors are more common in the fourth or fifth years and if “the mileage reaches 70-100,000 miles.” He explained further that the cars feature plenty of electronic equipment that controls the engine management automatic gearbox and a small software error can often create issues.

Of course, there’s wear and tear that have to be considered. MB&G says that the average age and mileage of cars being is increasing, but generally, the corporate/SME market doesn’t like to go beyond the warranties. Pearce said that each year, tens of thousands of warranties are being processed. The average age of those cars are also increasing quite significantly. Pearce added that for now, there are more drivers who would drive around, thinking about purchasing a warranty for “extra peace of mind.”

Source;

http://www.4wheelsnews.com/honda-is-the-brand-with-fewest-warranty-claims-study-says/

Honda Greensburg plant gets survey's highest award

Honda Greensburg was named one of the world's best car assembly plants

.J.D. Power and Associates, a research firm that hands out an annual prize likened to the Academy Awards of vehicle manufacturing, on Thursday singled out the southeast Indiana factory.

Honda Greensburg received the researcher's highest rating, the Platinum Plant Quality award.The Greensburg plant, which assembles the Civic car, scored 24 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with an industry average of 107 problems per 100 vehicles.

"It's a real feather in the cap for a plant that is that new," said Ed Miller, American Honda Motor Co. senior manager for corporate affairs.

Honda opened the plant in 2008 after selecting 900 workers from about 30,000 job applications. Honda is now recruiting a second shift of about 1,000 workers to start late this year.

Honda plants differ from Toyota's and General Motors' by relying slightly less on automation and more on hands-on effort on the assembly line.

To obtain the results, J.D. Power surveyed 73,000 cars and trucks of all makes in the hands of buyers. The survey covers initial problems detected within 90 days of purchase of model year 2011vehicles.

Greensburg was tied for the Platinum award by Toyota's Lexus RX assembly line at Cambridge, Ontario, and Toyota Kyushu 2 in Japan, which produces the Lexus ES, IS and RX. Each plant scored 24 defects per 100 vehicles."

These results are an important demonstration of our focus on the customer and the tireless efforts put forth by Honda associates throughout our organization -- in R&D, in manufacturing and in sales -- toreflect the voice of our customers and to exceed their high expectations of Honda and Acura," Tetsuo Iwamura, chief executive of American Honda Motor Co., said in a statement.

Source;
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110624/BUSINESS/106240345/Honda-Greensburg-plant-gets-survey-s-highest-award

Lexus, Honda top J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, Ford plummets

Despite being caught in the undertow of Toyota's recall and safety issues last year, Lexis tops J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Study (IQS) as the best brand in the survey being released today. Even better, Lexus' flagship LS sedan had the fewest problems of any vehicle in the first 90 days of ownership.

Meanwhile Ford, which was fifth last year and the only mass-market brand in the top five, fell to 23rd this year. It had 116 problems per 100 vehicles,up from 93 last year and worse than the industry average of 107 owner-reported problems. Its Lincoln brand dropped from No. 8 to 17 this year, with 111 problems.

Power attributed Ford results partly to two specific issues about which owners have complained: complicated communications and other controls and a dual-clutch automatic that some owners found balky and unpredictable. (Drive On friend Greg Gardner of the Detroit Free Press explained the complaints and predicted the IQS rating fall in a detailed story here.)

Power also said new technologies were an increasing problem for all makers. While the overall industry average improved to 107 from 109 problems last year, the IQS scores for models all-new or with major redesigns was 10% worse: an average of 122 problems, up from 111 last year. Carryover or lightly freshened models, by contrast, improved to 103 from 108.

"Exciting models with the latest features are crucial for winning over today's demanding consumers," said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, automakers must not lose their focus on the importance of these models also achieving exceptional quality levels. Expected reliability continues to be the single-most-important reason why new-vehicle buyers choose one model over another."

Honda, Acura, Mercedes-Benz and Mazda rounded out the top five nameplates in the IQS survey, which is one of the most closely watched measures of quality in the car industry.

With Ford's fall, you have to go to ninth place before the first U.S. brand shows up -- Cadillac.

Only it and GMC were above the industry average of 107.

Land Rover showed the biggest improvement.

The worst brands for quality? That would be Dodge, followed by Mitsubishi and Suzuki. Still the gap between best and last isn't all that great. Lexus had 73 and Dodge had 137 per 100 vehicles -- and the study doesn't take into account whether the problem was as simple as a rattle in a glove compartment or as bad as a cracked engine block.

Overall, cars had fewer problems, but the number of issues increased slightly in new models.
"Automakers must not lose their focus on the importance of these models also achieving exceptional quality levels. Expected reliability continues to be the single-most-important reason why new-vehicle buyers choose one model over another," said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power.

Only seven all-new or redesigned models rank among the top three of their respective award segments, compared with 17 models in 2010, and only one launch model receives a segment award this year vs. five launch models in 2010. Just one-fourth of redesigned models perform better than the outgoing previous-generation model did in 2010, and eight all-new models perform above their respective award segment average.

Honda picked up seven segment awards for the Accord, Accord Crosstour, Civic (in a tie), Element, Fit, Insight (in a tie) and Ridgeline.

Lexus receives four segment awards for the ES, GS, GX and LS models. For a second consecutive year, the Lexus LS has the fewest quality problems in the industry with just 54.

Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/06/lexus-toyota-gm-ford-jd-power-initial-quality-survey/1

Burlapp find: 2013 Mitsubishi EVO Illustration

Gotta say, nice looking illustration....
"Another illustration, so who know what it will look like.But Road and Track reports that the Evo is not dead.And the new version would be powered by a Hybrid system, paired with a 1.6 Liter Turbo engine.Why not?We still need fun cars around. I just wish they also looked more fun. So far it's just been tricked out versions of the boring Lancer.How about its own design, for once. "

Source;
http://www.burlappcars.com/2011/06/2013-mitsubishi-evo.html

Toyota to reveal GRMN Hybrid concept at Nürburgring 24

TOYOTA TO UNVEIL NEW GRMN HYBRID CONCEPT AT NÜRBURGRING
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will show the "GRMN (GAZOO Racing1 tuned by MN2) SPORTS HYBRID Concept II", a convertible mid-engined petrol-electric hybrid concept, at the 39th Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race taking place this weekend.

The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is an updated version of a petrol-electric sports concept shown at Tokyo Auto Salon in 2010. The vehicle features advanced styling and an improved sports-hybrid AWD system with the main power unit (petrol engine, rear-wheel drive motors and transmission) mid-mounted in conjunction with a front-wheel drive motor. Positioned this way it improves manoeuvrability, increases driving enjoyment and provides enhanced stability.Toyota launched the world's first mass-produced petrol-electric vehicle, the Prius, in 1997, and has long conducted active research on applying hybrid technologies to racing and sports cars. The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is the next step in the evolution of these efforts.

GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II
EngineType
Petrol
V6

Displacement (cc)
3,456

Maximum output (bhp)
245

System Maximum output
(bhp)295

Body Length (mm)4,350
Width (mm)1,890
Height (mm)1,200
Wheelbase (mm)2,575
Weight (kg)1,500 or less

Vehicle layout
Mid-engined with front electric motor

Tyres
Front225/40R19
Rear255/35R1924

Hours Nürburgring Race Outline
Name39th ADAC Zurich 24h-Race 2011

Dates
June 23-26, 2011 (main competition runs from June 25 and 26)VenueNürburgring (Nürburg, Ahrweiler, State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany)

1 A vehicle-development and motor-sports support program created by GAZOO, which also operates the GAZOO.com customer-participation portal site launched in 1998, "GAZOO mura" driving events and the "Drive Kingdom" large-scale test-drive events for the general public.

2 Stands for "Meister of Nürburgring", referring to Hiromu Naruse (1944-2010), a TMC test driver and chief of the GAZOO Racing team.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/22/toyota-to-reveal-grmn-hybrid-concept-at-nurburgring-24/#continued

Honda rakes up 7,000 orders for Fit Shuttle, Fit Shuttle Hybrid

Earlier this week, Honda unveiled the new Fit Shuttle and Fit Shuttle Hybrid. The Honda Fit Shuttle and the Honda Fit Shuttle Hybrid are both offered in 2wD and 4WD with prices starting at at ¥1,610,000 for the Fit Shuttle and ¥1,810,000 for the Fit Shuttle Hybrid.

So far, Honda has raked up 7,000 orders for the new model with 90 percent of the pre-order sales coming in for the Honda Fit Shuttle Hybrid.

Will this encourage Honda to bring the Fit Shuttle lineup to the United States? It just might.

Refresher: The Honda Fit Shuttle is powered by a 1.5L i-VTEC gasoline unit allowing it to average an estimated fuel-economy of 44 mpg using Japan’s 10·15 testing mode. The Honda Fit Shuttle Hybrid is powered by a 1.3L i-VTEC engine mated to the company’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system. It returns an estimated fuel-economy of 59 mpg.

Source;
http://www.egmcartech.com/2011/06/18/honda-rakes-up-7000-orders-for-fit-shuttle-fit-shuttle-hybrid/

Honda Owner Nears One Million Miles

The average American driver racks up 13,476 miles per year on their odometer. That makes “Million-Mile” Joe, of Norway, Maine, well above average; Joe has accumulated nearly one million miles on his 1990 Honda Accord over the last fifteen years. That works out to be nearly 4,700 miles of driving per month, meaning that Joe drives as much in a season as the average American drives in a year.

A former automotive service technician turned insurance claims adjuster, Joe is meticulous about his car's maintenance, and keeps detailed records of all services performed. He’s got notebooks full of data, and Honda reports that he’s taken nearly 700 pictures of his odometer to document the mileage. If nothing changes, Joe is on schedule to cross the one-million-mile mark this September, and Honda will be documenting his progress on their Facebook page.

Joe bought his Accord as a six-year-old used car in 1996 with 74,000 miles on it. His obsession with keeping records didn’t start until he crossed the 300,000 mile mark, but it’s safe to assume that Joe followed the car’s maintenance schedule religiously even if he didn’t document it. As remarkable as Joe’s achievement is, it really highlights the fact that manufacturers publish recommended maintenance schedules for a reason; stick to them, and you may have a million mile car in your own garage.

Source;
http://news.discovery.com/autos/honda-owner-nears-one-million-miles-110617.html

ABC News: Find out the % that your car was built in the USA

Interesting....

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer recently launched “Made in America Summer,” a continuation of the broadcast’s popular series focused on American manufacturing, the economy, and what things American citizens can do every day to help power/increase jobs in the United States.

ABC’s David Muir and Sharyn Alfonsi than decided to examine which car and automaker creates the most American jobs. What did the find? Well, first of all they found, that there are 698,700 people employed by the U.S. motor vehicle manufacturing industry and each automotive job supports nine others in this country.

Find out what percentage of your car was Made in America.

Honda hunts for documentary star

Honda is conducting a nationwide search for customers who use its products in extraordinary and unique ways.

One of the Honda owners who uses any of its products such as car, motorbike, lawn mower, marine engine, ATV or generator, in the most unusual way will be cast in the firm's next documentary film.

The documentary film based on the winner's story will be released online and broadcast on Channel 4 and More 4 as part of the company's documentary sponsorship.

Customers who make use of their Honda products in different and unexpected ways can take part in the competition by uploading their unusual stories on the company's new website, honda.co.uk/stories.

The website is fully accessible and will also include posts of other entries. The last day for entry is September 30.

Honda is expecting a lot of entries on the innovative ways people use their Honda's in real life.

Martin Moll, Marketing Director at Honda (UK) said: "We are really excited about this competition and giving someone the opportunity to star in their own short film and tell their Honda story. It's been fascinating finding out what our customers get up to with their Hondas and I'm really looking forward to hearing more extraordinary stories. No matter how off the wall or unexpected - we want to hear it."

Source;
http://www.rac.co.uk/news-advice/motoring-news/post/2011/6/honda-hunts-for-documentary-star/

Carscoop Find; Honda CR-Z Mugen Concept Video

With development of the new Honda CR-Z Mugen concept nearing its end, the Japanese automaker decided it’s time to release the first video of the supercharged hybrid model on the road before its world premiere at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

The prototype CR-Z is the collaborative work of Honda UK and its in-house tuning shop Mugen Euro. The hotted-up hybrid sports car feature modifications to the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine with the addition of a supercharger as well as to the Honda IMA system.

Mugen remains tightlipped at present over output numbers, but given that the regular model delivers a combined output of 122-horsepower, the supercharged model should flirt with the 200-horsepower mark.

“Performance figures already look promising for this supercharged Honda CR-Z, as early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine giving 0-60mph times around that of the Civic Type R,” Honda said in a statement.

The tuning firm has also stripped out 50 kg or 110 pounds from the chassis and made changes to the suspension, alloy wheel / tire combos, brake system and the car’s aerodynamics.

Source;

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/06/mugens-supercharged-honda-cr-z-hybrid.html

2012 Honda CRV and Volvo XC60 Similarities

Nice read, and shocking how similar the CRV and the Volvo XC60 really are....
This, we are told, is the new 2012 model year Honda CR-V, known internally at Honda as the 2WS. Yes, that wedge shaped rear does remind us of a Volvo XC60. According to the folks at Autoblog, the elongated D-pillar suggests a third row seat. We think that's quite a possibility given that the CR-V's main rival, the Toyota RAV4, comes with a third row seat option in the US. Although it needs to be noted that US market RAV4 is slightly longer than their Japanese / European market equivalents.

On critics saying that the CR-V apes too much of a Volvo XC60 - give the same brief to two different designers working separately, to design a mid size urban soft-roader SUV that appeals to the masses, I reckon that both will still come to a similar solution. Being a mass volume product, cost is imperitive, so tail lamps stretching horizontally across the tailgate will be ruled out due to assembly and wiring harness cost. The only way left to go is for the tail lamps to be stacked vertically. Fuel economy concerns will dictate that a gradually slopping rear is favoured to reduce aero-drag. Plus the side windows profile and overall silhoutte needs has to project a youthful-sporty appeal. Hence that pronounced shoulder line that rises upwards to the rear to give the illusion of motion. Thus explains similarity. Sure there are other ways to achieve the same, but one needs to consider the complexity of the design which will then affect the steel stamping, logistics (flat body panels are favoured as they take up less space) and assembly take time.

On this side of the world, punitive taxes on imported vehicles coupled by the fact that the aside from China, Japan is the only source for right hand drive Toyota RAV 4 meant that Honda's hold on the passenger car based / unibody SUVs is uncontested. Nissan X-Trail is a bit more utilitarian, and the local distributors of Nissan Edaran Tan Chong Motor have sort of dropped the ball with the second generation X-Trail. In its heydays, Nissan used to shift almost 300 units of the first generation X-Trail a month. Now it registers just barely above 100 units a month. So by default, it is going to be another winner. Those in the know however, who are brave enough to break away from the herd mentality will opt for the Hyundai Tucson / ix35. Brilliant car in our opinion. It's cheaper and backed by a 5-years warranty.

Powertrain for the 2012 CR-V will be carried over from the current generation model, meaning a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and in some markets, a 2.4-liter as well. European markets will receive a diesel option. Expected public launch will be in the coming 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this December. Local market launch should start sometime around Q2 2012. That is of course, assuming that the Mayans were wrong about the world collapsing by 2012.

Source;
http://www.theautoindustrieblog.com/2011/05/honda-cr-v-2012-spyshot.html

Next Gen Honda Beat getting closer?!?

Straight from www.woodyscarsite.com ;

"Only 33,600 sold from 1991-1996. It is already a classic by Honda standards and the last model to be approved from Mr. Honda himself. The Beat's aim was to challenge the Suzuki Cappuccino and the future Smart Roadster if the model would have continued. It's failure might have been the lack of power. No turbo or supercharger was ever offered to its 656cc engine. Can you blame customers?20 some years later with the advancement of VTEC, Honda can easily afford to spawn a newer version. With the S2000 out of the spotlight, it is an easy win."

Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/06/revival-new-honda-beat-convertible.html

Below are some earlier sketches of the vehilce. I think this would fit nicely into Honda's lineup.

Post-quake Honda says it now has lots of Fits, Insights for dealers

Honda offered a terrific sign this week that it is finally getting back on its feet in the U.S. after the March earthquake and tsunami that drastically slashed production.

It is now telling dealers that they can resume ordering two of the most in-demand models -- the small Honda Fit and the hybrid Insight, Automotive News reports.

The two models, both made in Japan, have been among the most in-demand as gas rose to an average of nearly $4 a gallon. The Fit is the smallest car that Honda sells in the U.S. and comes recommended by Consumer Reports. The Insight is the brand's underrated hybrid, a competitor to Toyota's Prius.

"Honda's manufacturing operations in Japan are returning to nearly normalized levels by the end of summer," said John Mendel, executive vice president of Honda's U.S. sales operation in a memo to Honda dealers. Adding back Fit and Insight "represents a major improvement from the recovery timetable we provided you last month."

Honda stopped orders on the models after the earthquake. Honda didn't incur major damange to its factories in Japan, but it has been badly impacted by the shortage of parts that has hampered other automakers, including those in the U.S.

In fact, Mendel is downright bullish. Noting that other models like the Pilot SUV, Odyssey minivan and CR-V small crossover are coming back to normal production levels, he implored dealers, "it is imperative that you keep your foot on the sales pedal."

It won't be easy: Sales fell 22% in May compared with a year ago, the News notes.

Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/06/post-quake-honda-says-now-lots-of-fits-insights-for-dealers/1

New Liquid 'Refill' could change how fast batteries charge in EV's

By Yang-Yi Goh,
TechNews
Daily Contributor 08 June 2011 10:46 PM ET

A new breed of quick-charge “liquid” batteries could help make recharging electric cars as easy as filling up at the gas pump.

Electric cars may be driving the auto industry toward a greener future, but a great number of issues still need to be resolved for them to catch up with their petroleum-guzzling forebears with regard to performance and desirability.

Perhaps the biggest problem facing electric auto designers lies in the battery: large and inefficient, today’s standard rechargeable lithium-ion batteries take hours to replenish and are suitable only for short distances. Chevy’s Volt model, for instance, takes nearly 10 hours to fully charge using an ordinary 120 volt outlet, and is able to travel only 25-50 miles before resorting to its backup gas engine.

Thanks to a group of MIT researchers, however, a new generation of leaner, more powerful, and easy-to-refuel batteries may be just around the corner. In a paper published in the May 20 edition of the journal Advanced Energy Materials, the group — led by MIT professors of material science Yet-Ming Chiang and W. Craig Carter — describe a novel approach to battery architecture that revolves around what they call a “semi-solid flow cell.”

[Read also “History Repeats Itself: Carmakers Again Put Electric Vehicles in Fast Lane”]

Essentially, the new design houses the battery’s active components — the positive and negative electrodes, or cathodes and anodes — as solid particles suspended in a liquid electrolyte. This thick, quicksand-like liquid is pumped through the system during the process of charging or discharging the battery.

According to MIT, the architecture should make it possible to reduce the size and cost of a complete battery system to about “half the current levels,” while providing a “10-fold improvement in energy density over present liquid flow batteries.”

“For two decades, advances in batteries have relied on development of improved components to be used in the same basic, inefficient architecture,” Chiang told TechNewsDaily. “Our work represents the inception of ‘Batteries 2.0.’”

The batteries will hopefully bring the performance levels of electric vehicles up to par with their gas engine counterparts. Using the semi-solid flow architecture, Chiang estimates a car will be able to travel 200-300 miles on a single charge.

“Our objective is to replace ‘range anxiety’ with ‘range euphoria,’” he says. Additionally, the new design will make refueling a snap.

Drivers will have the option of either simply pumping out the liquid slurry and replacing it with a fresh batch, swapping out the tanks like you would a spare tire, or recharging the existing material when time permits.

The technology is still at an early stage of development—Chiang expects the first commercial prototypes to be ready in about two years, but foresees the semi-solid flow system challenging the current cell-module-pack approach by the end of the decade.

Source;

http://www.technewsdaily.com/future-cars-2794/

Powered-up Honda CR-Z races into Le Mans ahead of 24-hour contest

The Honda CR-Z will join the Nissan Leaf and a few other alternative-powered cars in the Le Mans Vers Le Futur demonstration preceding Saturday's start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. The demonstration features the potential future of Le Mans, with less noise, less pollution and less cash spent.

The upgraded CR-Z gets a 200-hp version of the 1.5-liter engine, producing 175 lb-ft of torque. It keeps the six-speed manual transmission and the seven-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery of the stock car.

Honda unveiled the competition version of the CR-Z last year at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Later, it was entered into the 25 Hours of Thunderhill race in San Francisco. The compact CR-Z finished second in its class.

In Europe, the car is used as a pace car for the Speed EuroSeries.

Honda says it developed the car to be tested in race conditions, in part to help solve problems that arise when running a hybrid race car. The CR-Z isn't certified by the FIA, so it will only appear in the prerace festivities.

Source;
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article#ixzz1OmlLtEp1