Honda have given two of its concepts the green light for production, signalling the further development and indeed marketing of environmentally-friendly and technologically-advanced vehicles. The FCX fuel cell concept will be first to arrive on the scene, premiering at the LA Show, while green, boldy-styled vehicles based on Tokyo's CR-Z Concept will arrive on showroom floors in the years ahead.
FCX
Making its debut at November's Los Angeles Automobile Show will be Honda's all-new hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle - based largely on the FCX Concept shown at LA last year.
The Auto Show marks the first opportunity for potential US customers to preview the developed fuel cell car. The technology works by combining a 'fuel cell stack' containing hydrogen and oxygen, and stored electricity from its on-board lithium-ion battery pack, powering the vehicle's electric motor. The improved technology now offers unparalleled levels of performance, comfort, space and styling dynamism - the combination of which was previously unavailable on such vehicles.
Sales of the production-specification FCX are to kick off in 2008 for fleet and retail customers in the States and Japan, following the first ever trials of a fuel cell car leased to two individual customers by the firm. Honda is now the sole manufacturer to have a fuel cell vehicle certified to meet all applicable federal emissions standards laws and crash safety requirements.
CR-Z
A production hybrid model based on Honda's striking CR-Z Concept, premiered at this week's Tokyo Show, was also confirmed. The announcement comes just hours after the wraps were lifted off the hybrid CR-Z, introducing the idea of a new hybrid sports compact model, perhaps setting its sights on succeeding the Insight with a sportier, more stylish replacement.
With Ecologically Responsible Performance as its middle name, the CR-Z Concept is set to have a further range sibling when it enters production (in all likeliness) in 2009. A "global hybrid" family car also based on the sports hybrid concept will head up a new hybrid range alongside the three-door model. The hybrid systems used on the new range are unlikely to feature plug-in recharging, Honda preferring to refine their lithium-ion batteries.
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