Honda to build sport, compact hybrids over next 3 years

Although this round of the hybrid wars has been soundly won by Toyota’s Prius, Honda knows the market will evolve. Accordingly, it is building two new hybrids to complete its line of electric-assisted cars. The sports car hybrid CR-Z (pictured), currently on display in Tokyo, is one of them. The other will be a low-cost, small car to slot in below the Civic.

The smallest Honda hybrid will be all-new, not based on any current model. Although smaller than the Civic, the car will be capable of seating a family, reports What Car?. The new line will underscore Honda’s belief that hybrids are better suited to smaller city cars, while clean diesels are ideal for larger touring cars. This notion runs contrary to Toyota’s philosophy of adding hybrid drive to its biggest cars in an effort to cut CO2 emissions.

Pricing for the new small hybrid is expected to be around £13,500 in the UK, which would work out to about US$27,000. However, since the car is designed to slot in below the Civic hybrid which starts at $22,600 in the States, expect U.S. pricing to be under $20,000.