Honda's CR-Z Is a Sporty Hybrid, But Selling Two-Seaters is a Real Challenge

Hybrids have been around for a decade now, and if you recall the very first one on the U.S. market was the Honda Insight, which was not only a two-seater but set new records for fuel economy at 70 mpg. (Today’s Insight is its bigger cousin.) But that first Insight never sold all that well — the Prius, appearing a year later, immediately had the edge. It’s a good question, then, to ask Honda why it thinks its latest two-seater, the CR-Z “Hybrid Café Racer,” will succeed in the marketplace.

With the exception of sports cars like the Mazda Miata, Americans have never bought recent two-seat cars in any great numbers – we have large families and a lot of friends. We’re still not all that willing to buy small vehicles, either. An Auto Pacific survey of American car owners early this year found only 12 percent saying they would consider a small car to replace their current transportation, down from 24 percent at the height of $4 a gallon gasoline.

Despite that, Honda has been enjoying stronger sales in its small cars. The Civic is up 10.7 percent in year to date figures, said Vicki Poponi, a Honda assistant vice president. The economical small CR-V SUV is also up 9.5 percent. Of course, larger cars are up more: the Accord up 26.3 percent, and the larger Pilot up 21.5 percent.

The first-generation Insight was a trail-blazer, but it was also tiny and weighed just 1,800 pounds, giving it something of a buffeting problem on windy freeways. In six years on the market, it sold an equally tiny 17,020 units – a stark contrast to the new five-seater Insight, introduced last year, which moved 143,015 worldwide in its first year.

Asked at press event why Honda was gambling again on a two-seat hybrid, CR-Z chief engineer Norio Tomobe invoked the memory of a much-better-selling two-seat Honda, the Civic-derived CRX, which was on the market from 1984 until 1991 (and succeeded by the t-topped Del Sol model). I haven’t been able to unearth any collective sales figures for the CRX as distinct from the Civic, but it was very popular, especially in its early years. “The CRX was a two-seater,” Tomobe said, “and we think there is a segment for two seaters. Our mission was to create a sport package that would be easy to use by two people.”

And the CR-Z is an attractive package. It has an ultra-cool 3-D dash display that changes colors for the three drive modes (and goes green for economical driving), very comfortable seats in a low seating position, and nicely weighted steering feel. I found the performance vivid around Manhattan when “sport” was dialed in (there are also “normal” and “economy” modes. Fuel economy depends on which transmission you specify: With a six-speed manual it’s 31 mpg city and 37 highway, with a CVT automatic it’s 35/39. It might have been nice to top 40 mpg.

Here’s a video look at the two-seat hybrid car:

Among hybrids, the CR-Z is in fifth place for its 37-mpg combined fuel economy, beating the Smart Fortwo (but eclipsed by the Prius, the Honda Civic and Insight Hybrids and the Ford Fusion/Milan. Poponi also cited an IHS Global Insight 2010 report that sees a 22 percent gain for hybrids between this year and 2015, and 21 percent growth for small specialty cars in the same period. IHS is generally bullish on EVs. Poponi said that the CR-Z doesn’t have a direct competitor, and that is certainly true – it’s the only two-seat hybrid on the market.

It’s interesting to note that, largely to reduce weight, a plethora of the early-market electric cars (the Think City, the Wheego Whip, the electric drive Smart) will be two-seaters, too. So they’ll have that to overcome, as well as the new technology hurdle.

Tomobe plainly sees the CR-Z as appealing to the youth market, and he’s probably right about that. The “Hybrid Café Racer” term is derived, he said, from the phenomenon of young people sitting around in cafés and talking about their hopped-up cars and motorcycles. It’s also a nod to the other meaning of CAFE (the EPA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which ramp up to 35.5 mpg by 2016). The CR-Z has no problems on the CAFE score, and it’s also, like the Prius, an ultra-clean AT-PZEV (partial-zero emission vehicle).

Under the hood of the CR-Z is a 1.5-liter, 16-valve VTEC engine that when combined with the 10-kilowatt Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system produces 122 horsepower at a high 6,000 rpm. The battery pack is nickel-metal-hydride, long the standard for hybrids.

I expect the CR-Z will be a modest success that may not do much for Honda’s bottom line. But the fun-to-drive quotient could enhance the company’s reputation in the cafés where they sit around and talk about cars and motorcycles.

Photo: Jim Motavalli