Honda disrobes sexy hybrid

Date: 26 March 2007

Although the company describes the Sports Hybrid Sports car as a design study, which is one step below a concept car, a spokesman admitted: "If you look at Honda's recent motor show history, you'll see we don't do concept cars for the sake of it, and no-one's yet done a sexy hybrid." Honda has already confirmed a small hybrid car will join its range in the next 18 months, that it will be a smaller car than the Civic Hybrid, and that it will be a unique vehicle, not a hybrid version of an existing model.

Meanwhile, the Honda FCX fuel cell car programme will continue its expansion as cars looking very similar to the concept are placed with fleets in Japan and America. UK or European programmes are still, however, a number of years away as there are still no serious plans to get an infrastructure in place. In the States, authorities are creating 'fuel cell highways' where a number of filling stations all have the means to refuel hydrogen fuel cell models.

Honda still has to subsidise the car's placing due to the excessive cost of the fuel cell technology.

. Honda is working on a new clean diesel engine that is claimed to bring diesel particulates and NOx levels down to those of a petrol engine.

While diesels are better for CO2 emissions, they struggle with NOx and particulates, but through what the company describes as a "clever catalytic converter", it claims to have beaten the problem.

Honda won't reveal the size of the engine, but is looking to slot it into the Legend and Accord models, which would open up the possibility of diesels for the US market that has so far baulked at the prospect.

Expect it to start slotting into Honda in the next two or three years.

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