Honda has whipped the sheets off of its EV-STER, a rear-wheel drive electric roadster not dissimilar in size and scope to the late, lamented Beat kei car. If you’re looking for a successor to Honda’s S2000 or a Mazda MX-5 Miata rival, this isn’t it – the EV-STER is significantly smaller than those cars, and with a pure electric drivetrain, this showcar is more suited to top-down fun in the city than the open road.

Purely a concept for the moment, the EV-STER offers a 160-kilometer range, a 0-37 mph (60kph) time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 99 mph, though Honda isn’t offering much in the way of hardware specifications.

Attractive in both general form and detail, we could admittedly do without the yoke-style steering interface employed here and in Honda’s other Tokyo Motor Show concepts. Steering wheel aside, we hope Honda finds a way to bring something like the EV-STER to market… and we wouldn’t mind if it weren’t a EV, either.

Continue reading EV-STER rear-wheel drive electric sports car looks to recapture Honda’s sporting spirit

EV-STER rear-wheel drive electric sports car looks to recapture Honda’s sporting spirit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To hear Autocar tell it, Honda has confirmed that it’s working on a faster version of its disappointing CR-Z hybrid. Having suffered the slings and arrows of enthusiast who thought they were getting another CRX, Honda has said they will have a quicker version of the car out when the next-generation IMA hybrid system arrives.

They’re keeping mum about what engine the augmented CR-Z will rock, but speculation is that the new model will put down about 160 hp between its gas and electric powerplants. Honda R&D chief Tomohiko Kawanabe says the company is leaning away from a turbo engine because a naturally aspirated set up will work better with the hybrid drive.

Kawanabe also indicates Honda won’t let the power increase take away from the current car’s fuel efficiency and C02 production numbers, so expect most of the new power to come from an improved electric motor.

The as-yet unnamed sportier CR-Z is still at least a year away, which makes sense, as the new hybrid system isn’t expected on our shores until 2012, when it’s due in the new Civic. Watch for updates as details emerge.

Images copyright (C)2011 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

[Source: Autocar]

Report: More details on Honda’s hotter CR-Z come to the fore originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda is set to pull the sheets off of a the production version of its new sub-compact concept at this year’s Thailand International Motor Expo. Originally seen in concept guise at the New Delhi show earlier this year, the New Small Vehicle Concept is set to take markets in both India and Thailand by storm with its ,000 price tag and adorable stature. Honda has a long history of showing off “concepts” that are little more than production versions with fancy bodywork, and that appears to be the case here. From what we can tell, the retail hatch will be nearly identical to this show queen.

More details on the concept are likely to surface after the New Small Vehicle gets a full unveil later this month. Right now, we don’t know what Honda has planned in terms of drivetrains or whether or not the company will share the new model with the rest of the world.

Looks like a mighty-fine Aveo fighter to us.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Honda’s next mini machine to debut in Thailand originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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