Honda launches hybrid green car

26 February 2010
Honda has launched a new hybrid car

Young drivers are the target market for a sporty new hybrid car being launched by Honda.

The latest addition to the green car market is the CR-Z which is going on sale in Japan and will be available for motorists to buy in the US and Europe by the middle of this year.

The price for the basic model of the CR-Z is £16,500 in Japan while the top model will set buyers back £18,200. The price for the car in other countries has not yet been set.

Honda said the CR-Z gets 58.8 miles per gallon, less than its Insight car introduced last year to go head-to-head against Toyota's Prius, which had dominated the hybrid market for years.

The car is Honda's fourth hybrid following the Insight and petrol-electric versions of its Civic and Accord models.

The CR-Z's debut comes two weeks after Toyota recalled nearly 440,000 Priuses and other hybrids for faulty brakes amid complaints about a slight delay in the brakes working in cold conditions or on bumpy roads.

Honda said its braking system for hybrids is slightly different to Toyota's, and that the company has not received complaints about braking problems on its hybrid models.

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