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Honda to debut Prius-fighter concept this Thursday
If there's one vehicle that's leading the pack for "Car of the Future, Today," it's the Toyota Prius. The world's most popular hybrid will have it's own plug-in version sooner than expected, but the competition isn't waiting to try and take its hybrid crown. Honda's "Prius fighter" has been talked about for what seems like ages (spy shots here) and we're getting awfully close to seeing the real deal. We already know it'll look something like the fuel cell-driven FCX Clarity, but details beyond that are scarce. We had been told the reveal would happen at the Paris Motor Show next month, but word from Honda is that we'll now see it in just 48 hours when the concept version is revealed on Thursday, Sept. 4th. After that we can view the concept in person at the Paris show, and then the production version is expect to bow at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
Honda will begin selling the car early next year and word is that it will be affordable. While the official MSRP is still a long way off, Honda's UK environmental manager John Kingston told Just-Auto (sub. req'd) that it should not cost more than "traditional cars from rival manufacturers." Hybrid premium, what hybrid premium? On the technical front, the size of the car's revised Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system has been reduced and the lighter powerplant will help push up its MPG numbers. What those are remains a mystery, but Honda is expecting to sell around 200,000 of these puppies a year, with half of those being bought in the U.S. Sounds good, now can we just see the thing already?
[Source: Just-Auto via CarScoop]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PaulPaul 1:36PM (9/02/2008)
that's actually a nice looking front, but from the side it still look too much like a Prius; not sure why they decided to follow the same design
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Big Rocket 1:53PM (9/02/2008)
@PaulPaul: To give credit where credit is due, in profile the Prius looks like the Honda CRX, especially the 2nd-gen version. It came out in 1988, almost a decade before the Prius. Not to mention how much better looking the Honda hybrid is compared to the Prius.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CR-X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
Kaptain75329 1:57PM (9/02/2008)
Because this shape is not so much a Prius exclusivity or a matter of styling - it's about reducing drag. Better aerodynamics translates into less energy required for the car to cut through our thick atmosphere, which in turn yields better fuel efficiency performance.
Snark 2:15PM (9/02/2008)
Because if you want to make a four-door hatch that balances excellent aerodynamics, low drag, cargo room, and people room, it pretty much has to look like this. The Prius, Citroen CX, Insight, CRX, and this new hybrid all share the same shape.
It's kind of like why airliners are big tubes with cone noses, wings about midway through, engines mounted on the wings, and a tail.
2004m3driver 2:26PM (9/02/2008)
Yeah it has a lot to do with drag. This is a shape taken from nature. I think MBZ did a concept that was more directly taken from the original design which was the boxfish. I know there are more attractive designs out there, but this is maximizing space while creating the least amount of drag.
MBZ concept here. http://www.greencarsite.co.uk/CONCEPTCARS/Mercedes-BioFish.htm
blotto 7:26PM (9/03/2008)
Prius, Insight, CRX...all of these cars are based on a Kammback tail design.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback
mike 1:40PM (9/02/2008)
Wouldn't it be great if it had 50 MPG in the city, that a hit that car would become.
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comptr 1:41PM (9/02/2008)
Well It looks like a stretched out Prius.
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halogenrep 1:45PM (9/02/2008)
I really hope Honda has resolved the clunky stop-start system from the IMA. The change from electric to gas on the current Civic hybrid is not seamless and too intrusive.
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MONTE 1:52PM (9/02/2008)
I wouldn't say that it looks like the Prius as much as it looks like the Insight, which the Prius resembles. When you are dealing with low power vehicles then aerodynamics plays a very important role and there are only so many ways you can fit everything in a shell and still have room for people.
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C.W. 1:57PM (9/02/2008)
it looks just like a Prius with Ford's 3-bar grille front clip!
how dumb.
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Clinton 2:09PM (9/02/2008)
Could be worse; they could have used the new Acura grill.
Franz 2:23PM (9/02/2008)
You're kidding, right? Think outside the domestic box... this car's nose is a dead ringer for the current JDM Odyssey, which has been around since '03.
Franz 2:24PM (9/02/2008)
http://www.nextcar.com.au/i.honda.odyssey.modulo.05oct.jpg
PJ 9:06PM (9/02/2008)
Somehow, I doubt a 50 MPG car that starts under $20K is going to have a problem finding takers.
It looks more like a Citroen C4 than a Prius anyway.
C.W. 1:58PM (9/02/2008)
it looks just like a Prius with Ford's 3-bar front clip!
how dumb.
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Torrent 2:00PM (9/02/2008)
not the best looking, but loads better than that bug eyed prius.
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Rocketboy 2:03PM (9/02/2008)
If you design a car with a vertical piece of glass in back, you have failed as a designer.
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RG 2:34PM (9/02/2008)
Why is it so hard to grasp that aesthetics is not the top priority of this car?
Let it be said now, this car is not designed to be:
Pretty
Fast
Nimble
What it IS designed to be and what it will do very well is be:
Efficient
Reliable
Cheap
The body of this car is the most fundamental explanation of form following function. Aside from a corporate grill and some minor touches, this car is designed to be as slippery, not as attractive, as possible.
Farris 3:33PM (9/02/2008)
Fiero?
Toyota MR2?
Every single "box-van" ever made?
I think this comment fails.