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200+hp CRX to arrive in 2006?

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Old 05-12-2004 | 08:00 AM
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Default 200+hp CRX to arrive in 2006?

Thats what Auto Express, a UK car mag, has predicted in its latest issue. The news is also posted on its website. The full article is below:

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Civic CRX Set To Storm Back


here's nothing civilised about the new Civic. With the emphasis firmly on making its family hatchback more sporty than ever, Honda has radical plans for the next-generation car - and they include bringing back the CRX badge.

The mag's exclusive spy picture reveals what the all-new model will look like, and shows another interpretation of the Civic shape that has evolved over the past 30 years. The front end will be more rakish, while the current version's MPV-like styling will be smoothed out into a more conventional hatchback form.

While both three and five-door variants are expected to be available from launch - set for 2006 - Honda is also said to be planning a high-performance flagship coupé. That would wear the CRX badge last used in 1997. All versions are certain to get Type R models, with power outputs in excess of 200bhp. Also expect less extreme cars with plenty of visual impact, but without the high running costs of a hot hatch.

However, there will be more to the new Civic than just driving thrills. Honda knows that a large proportion of buyers still place practicality as their top priority, so the five-door is likely to be one of the most versatile family cars on the market. Adapting design ideas from the Jazz, it is expected to get impressive interior space and rear seats that fold away to leave a completely flat load floor. Chris Thorp

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Apparently the CRX will lead the Civic line as the performance coupe, replacing the moribund Si. An even hotter Type R is in the works as well. If this news is true, and I think we can put some stock in it, the 2006 Civic line-up is starting to look exciting. There's a photochop in the mag, so if someone has pls post it.
Old 05-12-2004 | 09:56 AM
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UK line-up /= US line-up
Old 05-12-2004 | 10:06 AM
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:wopics:
Old 05-12-2004 | 11:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Tirod
UK line-up /= US line-up
Not if they discontinue the RSX. The Civic CRX could then replace the Si and Integra/RSX without so much as battling an eyelid.
Old 05-12-2004 | 12:10 PM
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I'm sure Acura will keep the RSX in its stable. Its not expensive to produce (as it is based on the Civic platform) and it does bring a stream of younger buyers into the Acura fold. However, I'm sure it will move upmarket in terms of performance and luxury, perhaps making it a mini-350z competitor almost.
Old 05-12-2004 | 12:42 PM
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it would be sweet if they brought back the CRX.
I hope it won't be any bigger.
Old 05-12-2004 | 01:39 PM
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i dont think the rsx is a big seller so its quite possible it will be discontinued. it just doesnt compete very well anymore. a new crx would surely be a big hit if it were release here. i dont think that article clearly said whether it would be and old style crx type car or a crx del sol type car. hopefully the former. if they produce that, it might very well be my first new car!
Old 05-12-2004 | 01:51 PM
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The next RSX will move upscale to compete not with the discontinued Celica (Celica nameplate might return sometime, to fight the Nissan Z), but rather Audi and BMW new downmarket sportier models. Or it could turn into more of a midsize luxocoupe, I mean, they could very well dump the RSX and come out with a model above it in size and power (new CL, with more emphasis on sport than before).

The Celica/Integra-RSX dyad is basically dead. Toyota wants to offer near-RSX performance for a less-than-Civic-EX price. Grandmothers everywhere will still look at Civics, but performance-minded young guys and girls will flock more and more to Toyota's Scion stuff. How to fight that? Honda dealers need something more mass-market, and not a MT-only Si hatchback (which is getting dropped too now).
Vóila. There's room for the CRX to make a comeback.

Sure, the CRX and RSX could coexist, but they'd be so similar that the RSX would be a badge job almost. I can't imagine American Honda doing that either ... I mean, they did NOT just spin off the Pilot from the MDX.

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What does this mean for me? I dunno. Maybe my next car would be an Accord or other midsize coupe. Or Nissan will bring in something RWD.
It really depends on what Honda does with the CRX, where Toyota is heading (they could simply run the Scion tC and Camry-Solara and argue "oh yes we are sporty" with their straight smarmy faces), and what Nissan has planned. :bandito:
Old 05-12-2004 | 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by M Type X
Sure, the CRX and RSX could coexist, but they'd be so similar that the RSX would be a badge job almost. I can't imagine American Honda doing that either ... I mean, they did NOT just spin off the Pilot from the MDX.
ofcourse they could coexist. they did so from 1986 all the way through 1997 didnt they? and i dont think it would be anymore of a badge job than it ever was. the integra/RSX has always been a civic with just a longer wheelbase and some different hardware. it wouldnt be any different if they came out with a CRX. i just dont think theres much market for the RSX all by itself. they dont sell well, they dont compete well, and they just sort of drag down the acura brand. not to mention its just getting in the way of the civic line. if it werent for the RSX-S, the civic Si would have had the 200 hp motor and they would have sold more of those than RSXs cause the demand for Si's far exceeds the demand of these premium acura RSXs. if they were willing to accept a bit of power overlap between the two lines, they could coexist quite nicely.

if they brought back the CRX in a serious performance oriented form, they would sell like frickin hot-cakes. i can promise you that.
Old 05-12-2004 | 02:12 PM
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I dunno about your CRX promise, nor about your claim that the RSX is bad for Acura.
Talk about playing up vaporware & kicking the champion in mid-race.

It's obviously possible that the RSX could get dumped unless they can figure out where in the market they want it to be and how it could exceed their sales goals in however they define that market.

Honda brand needs something below the Accord coupe that's exciting. I don't care for the weird Si hatchback or its one MT-only trim. The Civic EX coupe will get smacked around by the Scion brand's nationwide rollout at Toyota dealers near you.
A Civic EX coupe is a nice car, but they're pricey compared to what else you could get, albeit with sedan bodystyles (i.e. Sentra SE-R or Mazda 3).

The strangest thing is that TOYOTA comes back in with Scion to play up the value equation. It's odd, because it's been a long time since Toyota sold cars on price. The Celica is overpriced and the Paseo wasn't that great of a deal for the money, isn't that true?


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