Honda Cars : Paris Auto Show: Honda CR-Z facelift – more details and interior pix | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

More details about the facelifted Honda CR-Z, which made its surprise world debut a week ago in Indonesia. The car is being showcased in Paris, the venue where it was originally supposed to have premiered.

We reported that exterior changes were made up of a newly-designed front grille and front bumper, reworked fog lamps, new HID headlamps, rear LED combination lamps, door mirrors, rear diffuser and a new design 17-inch alloy wheel – no additions to that.

We also mentioned that the hybrid’s output had been upped, and the latest numbers have just a slight variation from that reported earlier, with the 1.5 litre i-VTEC mill offering 121 PS (earlier, 120 PS in Indonesia) at 6,600 rpm and 146 Nm at 4,800 rpm for the six-speed manual, while it’s 118 PS for the CVT, with the 100-volt IMA motor providing 20 PS and 78 Nm.

As for combined output from the IMA hybrid system, that’s pretty much spot on too, 137 PS (earlier reported as 136 PS in Indonesia) at 6,600 rpm and 190 Nm between 1,000 rpm to 2,000 rpm, a jump of 13 PS and 16 Nm over the pre-facelift. For the CVT, it’s 135 PS at 6,600 rpm and 172 Nm from 1,000 rpm to 3,000 rpm.

Aside from an interior pix and studio shots of the car in its Premium Northern Lights Violet shade, additional info reveals that the car now features a lithium-ion battery, and the change from the previous nickel-metal hybrid (Ni-MH) unit has helped increase the the motor’s power output from 14 PS (10 kW) to 20 PS (15 kW). Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 9.0 seconds (9.7 sec on current car) and a top speed of 200 km/h.

Elsewhere, the engine has been updated with changes to the variable valve timing system and ECU. An anti-vibration knock sensor has been introduced and the material of the crankshaft has been upgraded.

Finally, an explanation of how the Plus Sport (S+) boost system works, even though it’s not all complete. If the battery is more than 50% charged, the driver can activate the system using the S+ button on the steering wheel. When the accelerator is pressed, an electric boost delivers increased acceleration for up to 10 seconds.

A flashing gauge on the dashboard indicates when the system is active, and S+ can be used in Econ, Normal or Sport modes. No word as to how much it all is in specific numbers in terms of output and performance improvement, so that’s a pretty half-baked explanation thus far.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2012/09/28/honda-cr-z-facelift-more-details-and-interior-pix/

Honda Cars : Carscoop; Honda to Debut New 1.6-liter Diesel-Powered Civic Hatchback in Paris | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

After making the announcement on the development of a new 1.6-liter turbocharged diesel engine at the Geneva Salon, Honda is now ready to show its smaller displacement oil burner on the latest Civic hatchback. 
 
The 1.6-liter i-DTEC is the first engine in Europe to feature Honda's Earth Dreams Technology series (in North America, the automaker introduced the series with the new Accord's 2.4-liter petrol unit).
 
It is rated at 118HP (120PS) at 4,000 rpm and 300Nm (221.3 lb-ft) at 2,000 rpm with Honda stating that the Civic will return a combined consumption of just 3.6lt/100km (65.3 mpg US or 78.5 mpg UK) with CO2 emission of only 94 g/km (for cars with 16-inch wheels). 

Together with the 1.6-liter i-DTEC Civic, Honda also plans to show the 2013 CR-Z Hybrid Coupe facelift, the EV-Ster Concept electric roadster, the European market CR-V and a special display with the an original first generation Civic at its Paris Motor Show stand. 

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/09/honda-to-debut-new-16-liter-diesel.html

Honda Cars : Nissan Terra FCEV ConceptNissan Terra FCEV Crossover Previewed Ahead of Paris Motor Show Debut | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Nissan Terra FCEV Crossover Previewed Ahead of Paris Motor Show Debut

by Ben Timmins of www.motortrend.com

Nissan has revealed details about a Paris Motor Show concept that combines the style of a Juke, the running gear from the Leaf and Pivo, and seats at least partially inspired by the McLaren F1. It's called the Terra, a fuel-cell-powered crossover.

Nissan is previewing the Terra before its Paris Motor Show reveal later this month, suggesting that it represents the next generation of Nissan fuel cell vehicles. The car, which is about 1-2 inches larger than the current Nissan Juke in every exterior dimension, is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell stack, which generates electricity for a driveline essentially ripped straight from the battery-electric Nissan Leaf. But to give the Terra off-road (or all-weather) chops, Nissan installed an in-wheel motor in each of the rear wheels, making the Terra an all-wheel-drive vehicle. As with all in-wheel motor setups, giving the Terra torque vectoring - like what's offered in the all-wheel drive Juke -- is as simple as sending a little more electricityto an outside wheel motor in a corner.

Nissan also says that the in-wheel motors allow the Terra to have powered rear wheels with a completely flat floor. That flat floor should come in handy, as Nissan envisioned the Terra as something of an urban/suburban runabout, a car that can handle all-weather situations but isn't intended for true off-roading. Still, the flat floor and hatchback should make it easy to carry things like bikes or kayaks.

On the inside, the Terra is typical concept car flight of fancy, boasting both an unusual seating configuration and futuristic driver controls. The front seats are mounted front and center, while the rear seats face forward but are placed more outboard, allowing the passengers to have a unique - and largely unobstructed -- forward view. Instead of using keys or remotes, the Terra is controlled by an iPad-like tablet, which turns the car on when once driver docks it behind the steering wheel.

Conceptual touches aside, the Terra does represent some realistic strides towards commercializing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Nissan claims that its new hydrogen fuel cell setup costs some 83 percent less than before, mostly because engineers quartered the amount of precious metals used in the system. The in-wheel motors are updated versions of the ones already used on the Pivo concepts (there have been three so far).

Source;
http://www.motortrend.com/auto_shows/paris/2012/1209_2012_paris_nissan_terra_fcev_crossover/