Honda Exceeds Industry Expectations with the CR-Z Hybrid Concept
Last updated at 12:00, Friday, 22 January 2010
Advertising feature. There can be no denying that Hybrid cars have grown massively in popularity over the course of the last ten years. When the Honda Insight Hybrid broke new ground in 1999, as one of the very first vehicles that employed the traditional internal combustion engine of the automobile in tandem with an electrical propulsion system, it was viewed as something of a novelty, with it not being immediately apparent to many drivers why they would want to swap their rides for this innovative newcomer. How times have changed, with increased concern over the environment and runaway fuel prices having both contributed significantly to the publics ever-increasing interest in Hybrid vehicles.
A perfect illustration of this swelling appeal came in Japan in the early part of last year, when more second generation Honda Insight Hybrids were sold than any other make or model of car. In the space of a decade the global public have come to fully embrace the possibilities and benefits of Hybrid technology, seeing it as they do as a critical component in the future of automotive transport. And a new chapter in the history of the Hybrid car looks set to be written this year, as the Compact Renaissance Zero becomes the latest and most aesthetically charming member yet of the Honda Hybrid family. On sale in the UK from summer 2010, the Honda CR-Z Hybrid Concept is a car that weds the good looks of a sports coupé with the efficiencies of a Hybrid engine. The first Hybrid car ever to boast a 6-speed transmission, the Honda CR-Z Hybrid looks set to cut quite a dash when it graces UK roads.
Not that the emergence of the Honda CR-Z Hybrid means that the Honda Insights time has in any way passed. The success of the Insight has been built upon public interest in performance and fuel efficiency, with those two concerns becoming paramount when drivers come to choose a new car. Hybrid cars are quieter, greener, and more economical to run than more conventionally built rivals, with drivers of the former also often being able to take advantage of government legislation designed to further Hybrid usage. Amply demonstrating this point are the benefits a Honda Hybrid driver in the UK would feel from their choice of vehicle, such as their car tax being set at the lowest band grouping, and them being exempt from the congestion charge that operates in central London.
There are a number of cutting edge mechanisms within the Honda Insight Hybrid too, which help bring further economies beyond those offered by the standard Hybrid car. At the end of every trip in an Insight, the motorist is handed an ECO score by their own vehicle, letting them know how much money they are saving on fuel which must always be a welcome bit of news in testing economic times such as these.
Complementing the ECO score is the in-built Guidance Function, which provides real-time direction regarding fuel efficiency. If the driver is accelerating or braking too violently, then the speedometer turns from green to blue, letting them know they are needlessly wasting petrol. Such inventive features do not come at the expense of quality or safety though, with the Honda Insight Hybrid having secured a maximum score from the European New Car Assessment Programme and each vehicle coming with a 100,000 mile warranty. There is no need to fret over the price tag either, with the Honda Insight being available from £16,338 on the road.
First published at 20:09, Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Published by http://www.dgblife.co.uk
