Honda's stand at the Tokyo Motor Show showcased two cars with a view to its future: the Acura NSX hybrid supercar, and the Clarity Fuel Cell, a fully electric fuel cell car; both will be available for sale next year. However, the NSX is expected to cost more than $150,000, out of reach for all but a few car enthusiasts and, with a dearth of hydrogen filling stations, the Clarity will only be available in Japan and California.
Fortunately, Honda also revealed a raft of new technologies destined for its mainstream cars that will improve fuel efficiency, performance and safety.
Turbocharged engines
The introduction of the latest-generation Civic last month heralded the first turbocharged engine in the car's history, a 1.5-litre unit. That will be the start of a family of turbocharged engines Honda will offer in its coming products. The next is the twin-turbo 3.5-litre V-6 found in the NSX, but Honda also has in the pipeline a tiny 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder, which would be found in the Fit and perhaps even the Civic in the next year or two. Mounted in a Civic five-door at the Tochigi research and development facility, it was surprisingly smooth and peppy, with none of the raspiness expected from such a small engine. While Honda wouldn't say how much power it makes, engineers compared it with a normally aspirated 1.8-litre engine. There is also a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder in the works, which has a good chance of being found in a future Civic Type-R.
Ten-speed transmission
Fitted to an Acura prototype was Honda's – and the world's – first 10-speed automatic transmission. Under acceleration, the autobox can skip down three gears at a time for more power, while Honda says it will improve the fuel efficiency of any engine by up to 6 per cent. On track at Tochigi, gear changing was almost imperceptible, and it happily cruised in 10th gear at low rpms until a quick jab of the accelerator bumped the gears down in a heartbeat – Honda claims it can downshift up to 30 per cent faster than other automatics. The transmission is designed for Honda's larger vehicles and, while officials wouldn't say when we'll see it, expect it to be offered next year.
New PHEV and other electrics
Honda plans major improvements to its plug-in electric hybrid vehicle for 2017. While the new version will share the same two-motor, one-engine setup of the current Accord PHEV, it will have a larger battery and is expected to be able to travel up to 64 kilometres on electricity alone, more than three times the distance of the current model. The upcoming version will also share a platform with the Clarity Fuel Cell, and will also likely share the same battery. The platform is also ideal for an electric plug-in car, though Honda engineers were coy about future plans. The company did, however, have a modified all-electric, four-wheel steering CRZ with an electric motor at each wheel, based on its Pikes Peak racer that placed first in its class earlier this year. On a tight circuit at Tochigi, this car is startlingly fun with its intense torque and handling, able to stick in corners far beyond what you'd expect. That's because of its four motors, of which the speeds can be controlled at each wheel for traction and that the rear wheels can turn up to 3 degrees. Even with just half of the racer's 450 horsepower, this CRZ will shame other sports cars on a track. However, Honda has no plans to build it, which is also a shame.
More safety
The company has added Traffic Jam Assist to its Honda Sensing suite of safety features. It combines adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist to keep with traffic at lower speeds, employing the same camera and radar units already on Honda's cars. But the system insists you keep your hands on the wheel, first with a warning and then by turning off altogether. Expect this feature to be offered some time next year. The Honda Sensing system is only part of the company's technology in its autonomous car project, which will also incorporate GPS and other sensors and systems; Honda plans to have one of those on the roads by 2020.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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