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.
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