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Honda may be working on a powertrain for its CR-Z hybrid that more closely matches the two-seater's sporty looks but would - in at last one version - de-hybridize the car.


That's what U.K.-based publication Autocar is reporting, citing Japanese auto industry sources it didn't identify.


Honda, which started selling the CR-Z in Japan in February and in the U.S. in late August, is working on a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that may come in both 160-horsepower and 200-horsepower versions, according to the report.


The new Honda turbo engine, which would essentially replace Honda's old 2.0-liter VTEC engine (which isn't used with the CR-Z now), also could be used in future Accord, Civic and Fit (U.S.) and Jazz (Europe) models, the publication said.


Autocar's report wasn't clear on whether Honda plans to replace the present electric-motor assisted 1.3-liter gas engine in the hybrid with a larger turbo engine that would still be assisted by the electric motor, keeping it a hybrid, or would simply start selling a non-hybrid version of the car, or both.


American Honda Motor Co. spokesman Chris Martin declined to comment.


The CR-Z, which Honda aimed at 25- to 35-year-olds, was the cheapest U.S. hybrid when it debuted in late August with a base price of just under $20,000, but the car was criticized in some circles for its fuel economy and performance.


The CR-Z gets a combined EPA-rated 37 miles per gallon with an automatic transmission, compared to 50 mpg combined for the Toyota Prius, while only being slightly quicker from 0 to 60 miles per hour than Toyota's four-door hybrid.


Honda sold about 1,000 CR-Zs in the U.S. last month and about 4,400 in just over three months since it was launched here. The company estimated in August that it would sell about 15,000 CR-Zs in the U.S. during its first year, with about a quarter of those having the first-ever six-speed manual transmission on a hybrid and the rest in automatic.

Tags: Honda, Hybrid, CR Z, CR-Z, Honda CRZ, Honda Turbo Engines, Hybrid

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Honda to De-hybridize CR-Z? Turbocharged Gas Powerplant Reported in the Works was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.