Honda CR-Z: The sequel to Civic CRX
Honda CR-Z concept
Many U.S. Honda fans mourned the day the Civic CRX reached the end of the line. Now Honda is coming to this month's Tokyo motor show with a possible successor.
The CR-Z concept is a lightweight sports car equipped with a Honda's gasoline-electric hybrid system engineered to deliver high performance. The name stands for "Compact Renaissance Zero."
Honda says it is trying to create an affordable sports car that is fun to drive but at the same time environmentally friendly. Lightness and simplicity are the main orders of the day-in both exterior and interior design. The rear hatchback is an obvious styling cue taken from the CRX.
This article was last updated on: 10/09/07, 16:48 et
Mazda continues to write Wankel history
The Mazda Taiki Concept picks up where the Nagare (flow) concept of two years ago left off and shows a possible direction for future rotary engine powered, 2-seater sports car.
While everyone was busy picking their jaws up off the floor in front of the GT-R at the Nissan booth, I made a beeline over to Mazda to check out the new iteration of Felix Wankel's brainchild before the crowd formed for the press conference.
Since the introduction of the second-generation RX-7 in 1986, rotary enthusiasts have lusted for the 13B in a number of forms: naturally aspirated, single-turbocharged, twin-turbocharged in the third generation and, in its current Renesis iteration, naturally aspirated with side exhaust ports for the RX-8. It's not often that we get an entirely new rotary engine, so I wanted to have plenty of time and space to get acquainted.
The new one makes a jump in displacement to 1.6 liters and features larger, skinnier rotors and a different and larger trochoid chamber in the rotor housing. Besides improving thermal efficiency, a rotary weak point, the new dimensions give the engine a longer stroke and shrink the combustion chamber for faster combustion, better fuel economy and increased torque at all engine speeds. Direct injection also makes its first appearance, which helps cut down on carbon build-up on the chamber walls. Even with the increase in size, the engine remains compact and essentially the same weight as the current Renesis, which is good news.
The new engine comes during Mazda's 40th anniversary of rotary engine development and is a perfect way to celebrate the milestone. Here's to 40 more.
Which brings us to the concept car that the 16X is mounted in: the Taiki. Some may see it as a rough idea of what a new RX-7 might look like if the zoom-zoom company decides to produce another version of its fabled sports car. Maybe after seeing the crowds gather in front of the Nissan stand six hours before the GT-R's unveiling, Mazda give serious thought to reviving the RX-7. If that happens, you can bet I'll be one of the poor suckers waiting eagerly at the Mazda stand for six hours beforehand.
Tokyo premiere for 2008 BMW M3 sedan
The 2008 M3 sedan gains two doors, added rear-seat capacity and more trunk space
The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG will get four-door sedan competition next year in the form of BMW's 2008 M3 sedan.
Munich's latest performance hero retains its recently introduced coupe sibling's mechanical package, including 4.0-liter, 414-hp, 300-lb-ft V8 engine, but adds the practicality of two extra doors, greater rear seat accommodation and additional trunk space in a move BMW hopes will further extend the M3's already huge appeal.
Stylistically, the sedan picks up all the characteristic M3 cues, including a deep front bumper, flared front wheel arches, power dome, hood and side fender ducts, chiseled side sills, deck lid spoiler lip, new rear bumper with integrated diffuser, and quad chromed tailpipes.
Further setting the new car apart from its lesser four-door 3 Series siblings is a unique front end appearance featuring the headlamps and kidney grille treatment from the M3 coupe.
BMW puts the new car's curb weight at 3531 lbs, about 25 lbs more than the M3 coupe. Performance remains sharp with 0-60 mph in an estimated 4.7sec (0.1-second slower than the coupe).
Underneath, it's the same as for the coupe; a MacPherson strut (front) and multi-link (rear), with the M3 sedan offering a slightly more compliant ride than the coupe due to the slightly inferior rigidity of its four-door body. BMW's electronic damping control will continue to allow driver's to choose between three different levels of stiffness.
This is not the first time the M3 has been offered as a sedan. Between 1994 and 1998, BMW sold a four-door version of the E36 model. BMW's decision to revive the M3 sedan after one generation can be directly related to the popularity of AMG's four-door C63 and Audi's RS4.
The M3 sedan makes its world debut at the upcoming Tokyo show, followed by a U.S. premiere in Los Angeles in November. The car goes on sale simultaneously with the coupe next spring, priced in the low $60,000 range.
What's next for the M3? BMW will reveal the M3 convertible, with a folding hardtop roof, at the Geneva motor show next March.
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