If this looks familiar, take a closer look. Yes, Honda is still calling the CR-Z on display at the 2009 Tokyo motor show a “concept,” but this instance is very close to the production model due in 2010.
How can we tell? Perhaps the best indicator is actually inside the car. The sci-fi gauge cluster and center stacke have been replaced by a much more conventional design, which borrows a number of components from other Hondas, notably the new Insight. The crazy light piping that ran rampant throughout the show car is now constrained to accents above the door panel inserts and around the cup holders. We doubt the touch-screen controls, however, will make their way into the production car -- it's a safe bet switchgear from the Honda parts bin will control the audio lighting and navigation systems, along with the door locks and windows.
Externally, the car retains most of its original design ethic, although bumpers have been thickened to actually lend some form of crashworthiness. On the downside, this meant designers had to revised the hood stamping, and the tweaked nose no longer seems to carry the attractive curvature of the original. The CR-Z also now sports traditional door handles and mirrors, and it seems the rear quarter windows have been enlarged to provide some additional visibility.
If anything, we'd expect Honda to possibly tone down the wheel and lighting design before the car hits the assembly line, but there's nothing here that strikes us as completely impossible to mass produce. We'll bring you more photography and our impression upon seeing the CR-Z in person come October 21, when our live coverage of the 2009 Tokyo motor show begins.
2009 Honda CR-Z Concept
2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Wagon
By Joshua Duval
The third body style in the all-new E-class lineup, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon, is scheduled to make its official debut at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show, but Mercedes-Benz has released images of the car ahead of the show.
In the U.S., the E-class wagon will be sold simply as an E350 4MATIC model, which sports a 268-hp 3.5-liter V-6, paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel-drive. Mercedes-Benz says the new wagon has been equipped with stiffer shock absorber settings and torsion stabilizer bars than the outgoing model. An automatic, self-leveling suspension system called "Agility Control" keeps the wagon at the same height even when fully loaded with cargo.
For the first time, U.S. buyers will have the option to equip the E-class wagon with a sport package, which includes perforated front brake discs with painted calipers, 5-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, gearshift paddles, modified front and rear fascias, twin trapezoidal exhaust pipes, and unique rocker panels. An AMG wheel package will be available, adding 5-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels and a 3-spoke steering wheel.
Inside, the wagon will be equipped with a standard drowsiness detection system Mercedes-Benz dubs "Attention Assist", while a pre-collision detection system will be optional.
The E-class wagon will go on sale in the U.S. starting in June 2010 as a 2011 model. We'll have more details when the wagon makes its physical debut at the Frankfurt show.
2010 Mercedes-Benz BlueZero
By Andrew Peterson
The Mercedes-Benz BlueZero E-Cell Plus is the third -- and final -- version of Mercedes-Benz's eco-friendly modular concept cars to be unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.
"The Concept BlueZero offers a triple demonstration of the technical maturity of alternative drive systems from Mercedes-Benz," said Prof. Herbert Kohler, Daimler's chief environmental officer and leader of future mobility programs. "Electric vehicles with battery electric or fuel cell drive systems will not truly be on an equal footing with today's combustion engine drive systems until customers are confident that there is a sufficient infrastructure of electricity and hydrogen refueling stations."
The E-Cell Plus is an extended-range version of the E-Cell EV concept shown at the 2009 Detroit auto show. In addition to the electric powertrain, the E-Cell Plus sports a small turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine, which mainly serves to recharge the battery pack and extend the driving range of the concept. Actually driving the front wheels is a 94-hp (70 kW) electric motor, allowing the E-Cell Plus to scoot from 0-60 mph in under 11 seconds.
Like the other BlueZero "Cell" concepts (E-Cell and F-Cell) shown, the battery in question is a lithium-ion battery pack, which has a total capacity of 18 kWh. Mercedes-Benz claims the pack can be charged within 30 minutes to a state that allows 30 miles of EV driving, but a complete charge allows 62 miles of driving on electricity alone.
As was the case with its siblings, the E-Cell Plus is built atop a modular architecture, which Mercedes sees as a means to reduce the cost of producing small, high-tech vehicles like this. A modular package also allows the automaker to offer a variety of powertrain offerings (depending on cost, market, and available technology), and grants designers more flexibility and packaging the vehicle.
