Toyota FT-CH Compact Hybrid Concept Car

Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept

Subaru has unveiled the first information on its Hybrid Tourer Concept, a design study of a premium four-seater car which combines advanced hybrid technology with an exterior characterized by single gull-wing doors and a spacious cabin with four individual seats.

The hybrid powertrain is combined with the brand's “Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD)” and “Horizontally-Opposed Boxer Engine” technologies.

Exterior is characterized by large single gullwing doors and extended glass areas.

The interior - based on the brand's human-centered philosophy - can accomodate four passengers and features a stress-free athmosphere which conveys a sense of openness.

The four indivifìdual seats are covered with a special high breathability leather and integrate a ventilation function.

Among the technical highlights are the regenerative brakesystem, a non-idling function that stops the engine when the car comes to a stop and the EyeSight + driving assist system, which adopts vehicle-to-vehicle and road-to-vehicle communication technology and includes an assist collision prevention support system that uses its unique stereo camera technology to recognize a wide range of driving environments.

Technical specifications

Length x Width x Height: 4,630 x 1,890 x 1,420mm

Engine type: 2.0-liter Horizontally-Opposed direct fuel-injection turbo gasoline engine

Max output of Motor: 10kW (Front) / 20kW (Rear)

Transmission type: Lineartronic

Drive train: Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with 2 motors assist

Battery type: Lithium-ion battery

(Car Body Design's news)

Honda CR-Z

Here's another instance of Honda calling a car a concept when it's actually mere inches away from production. This is the 2011 Honda CR-Z, and it is a reborn 1983-92 Civic CRX. It goes on sale in Japan in February 2010, with the U.S. following a few months after that.

Compact and sleek, this 161-inch long coupe/three-door hatch was first shown as a real concept at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. Now two years on, the 2009 show car is "95 percent" of the real thing, according to Honda officials. The final, final production version will be unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Show in January.

We know that the 2011 CR-Z will be powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC inline-4 combined with Honda's IMA hybrid powertrain, tied to a 6-speed manual gearbox -- essentially the sportiest drivetrain setup the company has offered in a hybrid to date. However, we still think it's likely that Honda will broaden the appeal of the CR-Z line by offering several drivetrain options -- perhaps a price-leader base model with just the 1.5-liter gas engine and perhaps, perhaps a CR-Z Si with a slightly larger, revvier engine.

The CR-Z's busy, compact 2+2 cabin is now virtually production ready and it's believed the car's Ni-Mh battery pack lies beneath the rear floor, as per the Honda Insight, on which it's is based. Even the wheels on this "concept" look production-spec, and if the "lack" of exhaust pipes on the CR-Z gives you pause, just have a look at the tail of a production Insight.

(InsedeLine's news)

Honda CR-Z Hybrid

Honda has announced plans to begin sales of the CR-Z sports hybrid model in Japan in February 2010. The car is based on the Concept presented in 2007 and will be powered by the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system.

The start date for European sales of the new hybrid coupe will be released towards the end of 2009.

(Car Body Design news)

The New Lexus HS 250h Hybrid

A new body shape tells customers this isn't just a hybrid version of an existing model. The mechanical platform (partly from the Toyota Avensis, which is marketed in Europe) provides a sophisticated wishbone-type independent rear suspension for better ride and handling, and ongoing improvements to hybrid component packaging also allow a normal-size trunk with more than 12 cubic feet of cargo space. Access to this space is through the largest trunk aperture in the Lexus sedan lineup.

Inside the HS, one finds comfortable seating in a reasonably roomy interior. Along with Lexus' striking instrumentation is the trick new remote-touch multimedia controller we first saw in the latest RX crossover models. It operates so much like the graphic user interface we all know intimately from so many days of point-and-click enterprise that it's utterly amazing nobody came up with this execution before.

The shift-by-wire drive selector is a short stalk projecting from a corner of an extended center console, and it falls conveniently to hand, even if the hard edge of the console is uncomfortably close to the right knee of tall drivers. With 30 percent of the interior's molded materials made from plant-derived plastics, the car's carbon footprint shrinks even further, driving home the new Lexus message: In the future, luxury has to be responsible and careful with finite resources.

(Inside Line news)