| Honda has launched a sporty new hybrid
hoping to attract younger buyers to the green car market.
The CR-Z has just gone on sale in Japan and will be available
in the US and Europe by the middle of 2010.
The Japanese price for the CR-Z
is a relatively affordable £16,500 for the basic model and
£18,200 for the top-end model. Prices elsewhere have not yet
been decided.
Honda said the CR-Z achieves 58.8 miles per gallon, less
than its Insight car introduced last year to go head-to-head
against Toyota's Prius, which had dominated the hybrid market
for years.
The car is Honda's fourth hybrid following the Insight
and petrol-electric versions of its Civic and Accord
models.
The CR-Z's debut came two weeks after Toyota recalled nearly
440,000 Priuses and other hybrids for faulty brakes amid complaints
about a slight delay in the brakes working in cold conditions
or on bumpy roads.
Honda said its braking system for hybrids is slightly different
than Toyota's, and that the company has not received complaints
about braking problems on its hybrid models.
|
