Japan Report: CRX Successor In The Mix At Honda
02-28-2007, 01:34 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Japan Report: CRX Successor In The Mix At Honda
There are talks about the CRX coming back to the US!
Originally Posted by http://news.windingroad.com/body-stylesmarket-segment/economy/japan-report-crx-successor-in-the-mix-at-honda/
It’s news we thought we’d never hear - Honda is working on a new CRX.
For a whole number of reasons, Honda has for years refused to consider building a successor to one of its greatest enthusiast products, the two generations of tiny, Civic-based coupes that appeared in the ’90s.
But now, at last, we hear that Honda’s thinking has changed, and a serious design proposal is under way at the company’s R&D design studios. It’s still in its early stages, but within the next couple of months, a decision will be made whether to take it further and approve it for production…
Honda fans loved the CRX’s cool style, brilliant handling, and high revving speed; all wrapped up in that tiny, seductive package, with the second-generation 1.6-liter CRX VTEC arguably the most desirable of the lot.
But Honda management went cold on the car when insurance premiums soared skywards, especially in the U.S., where the trend hurt sales. The odd-looking 1992 CRX Del Sol (which was offered overseas with a robotic power retractable roof) flopped. In the aftermath, there have been one or two flickers that the CRX might still be alive (the 1997 J-VX Tokyo Show car being one example) and believe it or not, some at Honda saw the 1.0-liter Insight hybrid coupe as a kind of “new” CRX.
But still the business case for a new CRX never got off the ground, much to the frustration of enthusiasts (and quite a few gearheads inside Honda in Japan, who saw more than one design proposal canned).
What’s changed now is the runaway success of small sporty cars in the Mini Cooper mold and Honda’s determination to maximize use of the next Fit platform, on which a new CRX would be built.
There are still hurdles to be overcome, but a revival of one of Honda’s sporting icons looks more likely now than it has for a long time… and we think that’s great.
For a whole number of reasons, Honda has for years refused to consider building a successor to one of its greatest enthusiast products, the two generations of tiny, Civic-based coupes that appeared in the ’90s.
But now, at last, we hear that Honda’s thinking has changed, and a serious design proposal is under way at the company’s R&D design studios. It’s still in its early stages, but within the next couple of months, a decision will be made whether to take it further and approve it for production…
Honda fans loved the CRX’s cool style, brilliant handling, and high revving speed; all wrapped up in that tiny, seductive package, with the second-generation 1.6-liter CRX VTEC arguably the most desirable of the lot.
But Honda management went cold on the car when insurance premiums soared skywards, especially in the U.S., where the trend hurt sales. The odd-looking 1992 CRX Del Sol (which was offered overseas with a robotic power retractable roof) flopped. In the aftermath, there have been one or two flickers that the CRX might still be alive (the 1997 J-VX Tokyo Show car being one example) and believe it or not, some at Honda saw the 1.0-liter Insight hybrid coupe as a kind of “new” CRX.
But still the business case for a new CRX never got off the ground, much to the frustration of enthusiasts (and quite a few gearheads inside Honda in Japan, who saw more than one design proposal canned).
What’s changed now is the runaway success of small sporty cars in the Mini Cooper mold and Honda’s determination to maximize use of the next Fit platform, on which a new CRX would be built.
There are still hurdles to be overcome, but a revival of one of Honda’s sporting icons looks more likely now than it has for a long time… and we think that’s great.
