Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid Concept 2007

If you ever want to be uninspired, just take a trip down to the local car lot and walk through the compact car section. There you will see row after row of basic transportation, vehicles designed to take you to work, go get groceries and in a pinch make a day trip outside the city. Given that buyers in the segment don’t expect much more than a reliable vehicle that starts every day and is easy on gas, manufacturers tend to engage in the most pedestrian of styling. This renders these vehicles no more attractive than a nice refrigerator or other appliance. Given their size and economy-orientation, many entry-level hybrid vehicles also get painted with the same brush by automotive designers, especially given the difficulty in placing enough battery capacity in such a small package. When push comes to shove, these designers almost always opt for form to follow function.

There was a time, however when companies tried to inject a little bit of excitement into the looks of subcompact cars. While they might not have lit any fires when it came to performance, vehicles like the Honda CRX at least set themselves apart from the rest of the pack by being fun to drive and looking the part as well. The new 2007 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid concept is an attempt to echo the CRX and put forth the assertion that small hybrid cars can be exciting as well as economical. Powered by Honda’s standard gas-electric system, this attractive coupe marries a long, sloping front with a truncated rear deck, managing to avoid any abrupt or hard lines. The vehicle closely resembles the egg-shaped Civic SI of years passed, but with a more updated feel. The hybrid setup generates 93 horsepower from a 1.3 liter 4 cylinder gas engine, and this output is assisted by a 20 horsepower electrical motor. During braking the engine can drop down to using only one cylinder, maximizing fuel economy while the regenerative braking system recharges the vehicle’s batteries.