General Motors Will Introduce Dual Clutch AWD On More Cars

General Motors will introduce a new dual clutch all wheel drive system built by British supplier GKN Driveline on the new 2017 Buick LaCrosse. The system adds two electronically controlled clutches to the rear axle in place of the traditional mechanical differential. The arrangements lets the car’s onboard computer determine how much, if any, of the engine’s power is transmitted to each rear wheel.

“This has a real performance element to it, with big benefits on acceleration and cornering,” LaCrosse Marketing Manager Doug Osterhoff said in a recent interview. “We think this will have more play” in warm weather states where consumers traditionally are less interested in all wheel drive systems. Less than 10% of buyers opt for the mechanical awd system on the LaCrosse today.

The electronic dual clutch enables what is known today as “torque vectoring” — a way to not only send power to a wheel with traction but also enhance cornering ability by delivering more power to the outside wheel, which helps the car turn. Torque vectoring is becoming a popular concept in cars with electric drivetrains, like the proposed Honda CR-Z with 4 electric motors that is said to be in the works.

The ability to seamlessly shift torque between the rear wheels offers improved ride and handling compared to traditional all wheel drive systems, says Ray Kuczera, GKN’s vice president of global product technology. The two clutch setup is similar to the GKN systems used on the Range Rover Evoque crossover and the Ford Focus RS, according to Automotive News.

“Customers are seeing all wheel drive as more than just a go anywhere traction feature,” Kuczera said. “The two-clutch system can also influence the vehicle dynamics and improve the feeling of the car when you’re going straight or turning. It’s more nuanced vehicle control.”

The GKN system will be featured on Cadillac’s newest SUV,  the XT5, that goes on sale next spring, but with an added benefit. It will be able to disconnect the rear wheels entirely in certain circumstances to boost fuel economy on the open road. “As OEMs get more and more worried about saving fuel, having these twin clutches is the most efficient way to disconnect the rear” while still being able to offer all wheel drive to customers who need it, Kuczera says.The GKN system is expected to be available on other GM products with all wheel drive in the years to come.

Photo credit: Automotive News

Honda Planning New CR-Z Electric Sports Car

Remember the Honda CR-Z? That’s the 2 seat hybrid sports car with the sexy body that Honda introduced back in 2010. It sold pretty well at first, due largely to its attractive styling, but that was before people realized its wimpy IMA hybrid powertrain didn’t have the power to pull the skin off custard. Once the word got out about is weak sister performance, sales went into the tank and never recovered.

Now, unnamed muckety mucks deep with Planet Honda tell Auto Express  Honda is working on a new battery electric sports car based on the CR-Z chassis  and the specs they are talking about make it sound like a tasty little crumpet indeed: 4 electric motors, one for each wheel. 250 horsepower. 0-62 in 3.2 seconds .(that’s Ludicrous Mode territory!) Honda’s Precision All-Wheel Steer system, which allows the rear wheels to turn as much as three degrees  in either direction to aid handling and agility. A 60 kWh battery for 250 miles of range.

The car is a soulmate to the electric CR-Z racer Honda brought to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb earlier this year, except that car had over 500 horses pushing it up the mountain. “We are making every possible effort to make it to the market,” the mole inside Honda insists. “We now have to think about the commercial aspect.”

Two seater sports cars never sell in large volumes. Most of them are halo cars meant to bring customers into showrooms, where they ogle the sexy sportster and then drive home the sedan, minivan or SUV the family actually needs. Whether Honda will ever put this car into production is an open question. And whether it is intended for British customers or will make its way to America is another question that will need answering.

The original CR-Z promised much and delivered little. Will people consider an all electric successor to it? Let’s hope so. A 4 motor electric sports car with blazing acceleration and awesome handling sounds like just the thing we need to light a fire under the EV movement.

Honda CR-Z May Return In 2018, But Not As A Hybrid

Remember the Honda CR-Z? It was the hybrid car that was going to put the fun back in driving an environmentally friendly car, except it didn’t. It had swoopy styling but it’s performance was tepid and that’s being kind. Sales started slow and got worse. While it is still available in the US, it has been quietly dropped from foreign markets.

But now, Car & Driver reports the CR-Z may make a comeback as a 2018 model. It will have an updated body and forget all about being a hybrid. Instead, it will have a hairy chested turbo 4 cylinder similar to the engine found in the mighty Civic Type R and cranking out 280 horsepower. The original CR-Z was a featherweight at 2200 lbs. If Honda can keep the weight of the new model down, the new CR-Z should be a screamer.

“The two reasons that forced Honda to phase it out [in Europe and Australia], namely its weak street cred and lack of performance thanks to its ho-hum hybrid power unit, have been addressed. The new coupe will be a force to reckon with,” insists C&D’s source deep within Honda’s R&D center in Tochigi.

Honda really doesn’t have an answer for the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins. Maybe it feels a need to get back into the high performance, affordable sports car game it practically invented with the Civic Si and then abandoned. In fact, it may position the CR-Z in the US market as the sports coupe version of the next generation Civic sedan. It reportedly will be built on a shortened Civic chassis instead of the Fit chassis the previous CR-Z was based on.

Rumors suggest a concept of the new car may surface at the Detroit auto show in January of 2017, which raises this question: who is steering the ship at Honda and why would it take almost a decade to get the CR-Z right? Another question car enthusiasts may have is: will there ever be a hybrid or electric car that rivals the original Civic Si for spirited, fun per dollar driving? After all, not all of us can afford $110,000 or more for a Tesla P85D. Apparently, if such a car ever gets built, it won’t be a Honda.

Source: Gas2

Honda CR-Z Gets Factory-Approved Supercharger

The Honda CR-Z attempted to walk the fine line between being a sporty coupe and a frugal fuel-sipper. It didn’t really succeed at either, delivering so-so fuel efficiency while feeling too underpowered to be considered any sort of performance car.

Enter Honda Performance Development, Honda’s in-house motorsports group, which has just released a factory-approved supercharger the boosts output from 130 horsepower to a more-competitive 197 horsepower. That’s in the same power range as Honda’s own Civic Si. In addition to the supercharger, the HPD package includes an air-to-air intercooler, a reflashed ECU, high-flow fuel injectors, and a new cold air intake.

Those modifications add up to a MSRP of $5,495 and still maintains Honda’s 5-year/60,000 mile warranty. The kit is specifically for the 2014 Honda CR-Z, though I don’t see why it couldn’t be retroactively applicable to earlier models, can be dealership installed. Buyers also have the option of other performance-enhancing features like a limited-slip differential and sportier suspension bits.

While a supercharger seems to defeat the point of a hybrid, it does make the CR-Z more appealing to those seeking an affordable performance fix. With a starting MSRP of $19,995, you can actually drive off in a supercharged CR-Z for just about $2,000 more than a Civic SI coupe. Not too shabby, though you have to take into account that the CR-Z’s doubtful future; it’s already been killed off in Europe, and its stablemate, the Honda Insight, has also been put out to pasture.

Maybe Honda should have just offered a supercharger option from the get-go, and really give buyers a choice between a CR-Z that goes fast, and one that delivers awesome fuel economy. Trying to split the middle doesn’t seem to have worked out for Honda.

Source: Honda