In a story released today by Autocar UK, the following quote is attributed to Honda R&D Chief Tomohiko Kawanabe:

“It’s true: we are working on a more powerful CR-Z,” he said. “Our problem with the car as it stands is that it looks very good, but it doesn’t have the performance some customers expect.”

This should come as good news to many of you who were disappointed by the CR-Zs initial performance envelope. For those who were hoping that the increase in power would be achieved by turbocharging the ICE, Kawanabe-san says that there has been no decision made yet, and in fact, he states that "a high-compression petrol engine would work better in tandem with a hybrid assist system.”

No time table is given for the expected release of this hotter CR-Z, but Autocar says that it is likely that the enhanced CR-Z would likely feature the "next generation" IMA technology, which includes a Lithium-Ion battery pack (double the energy density), and a new coupling between the IMA flywheel/motor and ICE which will allow it to decouple the ICE during braking to enhance energy recovery.

Kawanabe-san also says that it would not be acceptable for this car to be less fuel efficient than the current one.

Read the full story at Autocar UK.

Last edited by JeffX on March 18, 2011 11:26