Honda Floating a return of the CRZ?

RobbJK88

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https://www.motortrend.com/news/honda-cr-z-trademark-details-info/

According to MotorTrend, Honda has just registered the trademark for the CRZ....

As MT states, it could just be Honda sitting on the trademark so that nobody else takes it.... but with the recent demise of sporty 2 doors in their portfolio, could it be Honda sees fit to introduce a new, more sport oriented car that will go beyond what the Civic coupe was in terms of it's sporty nature, while possibly helping to build on Honda's commitment to hybrid tech?

So, during the announcement/interview with Honda where they announced the death of the Fit for the US market, the removal of the manual for the accord, etc... when pressed on the absolute death of the coupe, Honda did not completely confirm nor deny the total death of the coupe model. I wondered, even if in cautious hope, that maybe there was a clue there... that Honda chose to drop the civic coupe in favor of a more dedicated sport focused model (such as a returning prelude, S2000, or CRZ/X). Now with this news.... I wonder could Honda be gearing up to keep it's sporty coupe roots alive with a newly reimagined CRZ.... either as a coupe, 2 door sport back, or 3-door hatch.

Even if it were a Hybrid, imagine honda using the 1.5T in combination with an electric motor to create a relatively light weight 230+ HP that could still achieve upwards of 40mpg. Assuming they can keep the price between $25-30 grand like the civic coupe was.... I personally would leap at the new CRZ as an alternative to my beloved coupe. Even better if it's a sport back or hatch, as that helps offset at least some of the the day-to-day coupe inconvenience. Perhaps they see a market for a true Veloster competitor. Could there even be higher powered Si variants?

I'm cautiously optimistic of this development. Imagine if Honda introduced the new 2022 Civic sedan and Hatch next spring, made a lamenting statement about the loss of the coupe, and then immediately pulled the sheet off of a new sport focused CRZ model.

Or they could really screw the pooch and let us all down and reveal some kind of bastardized CRZ crossover that everyone will loath.
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If they do bring it back, they need to decide that it's either a sports car or a hybrid(or fully electric) commuter car, not the half assed in between that the CR-Z is.
 
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RobbJK88

RobbJK88

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If they do bring it back, they need to decide that it's either a sports car or a hybrid(or fully electric) commuter car, not the half assed in between that the CR-Z is.
I fully agree. I test drove a CRZ back in the day. And it was a fun little car! Like a go cart. But it definitely had an identity crisis. MT mentioned making it an EV... but I think if Honda is going to bring an EV to the states, it should be a crossover.... not a sports coupe. I wouldn't care if they just threw the 1.5T or 2.0T in and called it a day... but I assume they'll probably keep it at least a hybrid... in my mind the 1.5T with hybrid motor would be a great combo allowing for good power output while keeping it a very fuel efficient option. But the focus should definitely be on the sport aspect, and not the efficiency aspect.
 

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Or they could really screw the pooch and let us all down and reveal some kind of bastardized CRZ crossover that everyone will loath.
Unfortunately this will probably happen :(
 

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Unfortunately this will probably happen :(
I agree. As a CRX owner, I was excited when the CRZ was announced. It was supposed to be it's modern day successor. In reality it was a similar looking car that offered little in the way of real excitement. There was a reason it wasn't very popular. It frankly was a weak attempt by Honda.
 


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I fully agree. I test drove a CRZ back in the day. And it was a fun little car! Like a go cart. But it definitely had an identity crisis. MT mentioned making it an EV... but I think if Honda is going to bring an EV to the states, it should be a crossover.... not a sports coupe. I wouldn't care if they just threw the 1.5T or 2.0T in and called it a day... but I assume they'll probably keep it at least a hybrid... in my mind the 1.5T with hybrid motor would be a great combo allowing for good power output while keeping it a very fuel efficient option. But the focus should definitely be on the sport aspect, and not the efficiency aspect.
It's exactly like driving a go cart and I love my CR-Z. It wasn't very popular because it wasn't as fuel efficient as a prius, less power than every actual sports car, and being a coupe limited it's desirability even more. If they could refine the IMA technology plus a turbo they could probably get the coupe Si market, or go full sport EV like a tesla. We don't need anymore crossovers.

Honda basically needs to accept that it's a niche car, and need to design it as such.
 

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If they don't finally release the S2K successor then it should be in that niche.
 
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RobbJK88

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While doing a little random googling today, I found this (albeit old) article from C&D about talking with Honda back in 2015 about Honda's plans for a second gen CR-Z that obviously never materialized. However, it may give some credence to the potential of a new CR-Z with Honda's recent renewal of the name trademark.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a...rendered-may-ditch-hybrid-for-new-turbo-news/

Back in 2015/2016, right when the 10th gen civic was getting ready to hit market, there was a big demand from Honda America for a more sport focused coupe to help with brand image (the usual job of niche vehicles). It makes mention of both a 1.5T hybrid version of the CRZ as well as a Type R variant using a slightly detuned 2.0T and switching to the civic platform (the original rode on the Fit platform). This interview shows that Honda had plans for the second gen CRZ, and while those plans might have been shelved at the time, with the cancellation of the civic coupe, it could be that Honda has finally decided to revisit these plans for a more focused sports car to keep their sporty image.

IF it was my job to make the decisions... I'd offer the CRZ, riding on a shortened civic platform, in just 3 trim levels ranging from $25-30k. All trims would be available in manual and some type of auto option. This would position the CRZ as more direct competition to the GTI, Veloster Turbo and N, and even possibly the GR86 and BRZ. Keep the car a 2 door hatch like the original leveraging the utility of a hatch but sleek look of a 2 door.

Sport - base model, 1.5T hybrid making just over 200hp with similar equipment to the current civic EX.

Si - mid level trim, same engine as the sport but maybe slightly tweaked for higher hp, essentially the same equipment as the Sport, but with upgrades to handling, body kit/appearance, the current Si adjustable suspension feature, sport seats, etc, making it more driver focused option.

Type R - Detuned 2.0T making around 275hp, all the handling/suspension upgrades, lower price than the CTR to compete with the Veloster N.
 

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RobbJK88

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All sounds good on paper but with most automakers suffering financially due to the pandemic and other factors, it won't happen. I think Honda will stick to mostly selling what they deem as high volume items.
I don't disagree, for now that is definitely the best course of action. However, if I had to guess, this car, should they choose to make it, is still easily at least 2 years out from being on sale anyway... let's hope that things have at least mostly gone back to normal by then. Perhaps the cancellation of the civic coupe was so Honda could rededicate that money and resources to development of this car in the next few years. Have to think beyond the current state of affairs (assuming the world doesn't end before then, lol)

If they choose to make a new CRZ, the R&D would be relatively low for that car given that it would be pieced together from already existing hardware. Global platform, CRV/Accord hybrid tech, 1.5T/2.0T engines, etc,

And it's also worth noting that other carmakers have niche vehicles too, such as Toyota, which already has 2 sports coupes, AND is bringing the GR Corolla along too. The high volume vehicles are what helps pay for the existence of the niche models, in part.
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