Honda Unveils Hybrid Sports Car

Hybrids don't have to sacrifice looks to be environmentally friendly _ they can be muscular and stylish, too. That's the message Honda hopes to send at this month's Tokyo auto show with its new gas-electric hybrid sports car CR-Z.

Hybrid vehicles tend to be bulkier than sleek sports cars because of the size and complexity of the hybrid systems, which include a battery, motor, engine, converter and other parts. They're usually not known for their torque, acceleration, handling and innovative design. The CR-Z comes with a new hybrid system developed by Honda whose breakthroughs allowed designers to get around such restrictions to achieve its lean cutting-edge look, said Morikawa, while declining to give details about the hybrid system and the vehicle. Japan's No. 2 automaker already sells the hybrid Civic but discontinued the hybrid Accord and hybrid Insight. It has promised a new hybrid in 2009. Interest in hybrids is high among the world's automakers amid concerns about global warming and rising oil prices. Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. has emerged the leader in the technology, having sold more than a million hybrids globally over the last decade.