Honda has yet to officially announce that its CR-Z Hybrid sports car will make its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show in just a few weeks time, but that's just a formality now. We had already assumed as much with Honda announcing it would hold a press conference and with no other significant products on the way.
Now we have real reason to know the production CR-Z will bow in Detroit, with Honda UK posting a note to that effect on Twitter. The tweet, intended for the local U.K. media reads, "For those not going to Detroit for the motor show, watch this space on Monday for the first official pics of the EU-spec CR-Z sporty hybrid."
It doesn't take too much extrapolation to see that the production CR-Z will arrive in Detroit, unless of course Honda plans to unveil the Euro-spec CR-Z n the U.S., which of course would be ridiculous.
Details of the CR-Z have already leaked online, as have several photos in a brochure. What we know is that the CR-Z is powered by a more powerful version of Honda's IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) powerplant, which consists of a 112-hp and 107 ft-lbs of torque 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine, which is mated to an electric motor, producing an additional 14-hp and 57 ft-lbs of torque. Honda claims a 0-62 mph time of 9.7 seconds.
As for fuel-economy, the CR-Z is rated at 52/59 mpg (City/Highway) in the Japanese test cycle. Those numbers aren't expected to be nearly so high in North America once the EPA gets a hold of the CR-Z.
We'll be sure to bring you full details with live coverage of the Detroit Auto Show starting January 11th.
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Detroit Preview: Production Honda CR-Z Headed to Detroit on AutoGuide.com
Detroit Preview: Production Honda CR-Z Headed to Detroit
