Honda has decided to start a little early in the hype-building game for the all new Honda Accord Tourer. Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show on March 4, the new Accord Tourer will be targeting the BMW 3-Series and the rest of the compact executive car class.

Introduced as a concept car at Frankfurt last year, Honda pushed development of the five-door Accord Tourer rapidly, bringing out this production version just five months later. The Honda Accord Tourer will keep many of the styling cues of its siblings, but as we can see from the close-up photos provided by the automaker, there will be some key differences to the shape of the headlights and LED taillights. Driving capabilities should be similar to the other Accords, while designing the interior to be as sleek and comfortable as possible for everyone in the cabin.

Although the press release says that both the “new Accord and Accord Tourer models will be unveiled” at the event, the Honda press office has told WorldCarFans that the lid will be lifted off the Tourer only. However, we wonder if Honda will in fact show off the Euro version of the Accord spied last October.

Sadly, the Japanese automaker has refused request to release specifications about the car, but we do know the car will be Euro 5 compliant (like the rest of the Accord lineup), and that it will posess a bevy of safety features. This should make the Accord Tourer something to scare the folks over at Volvo. Honda is expected to release more information about the car in less than three weeks.

Sales of the all new Honda Accord Tourer will begin in early summer.
Press Release
Close-up of the all-new Honda Accord

23 January, 2008 - Honda has released first glimpses of the new Accord which debuts at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

The new Accord boasts quality features to challenge established premium contenders in the executive D-segment. Sporty styling and enticing driving dynamics are offered while strong environmental credentials impress in an all Euro 5 emissions-compliant engine line up.

The refined interior is designed with carefully selected materials to create an outstanding standard of fit and finish. To complement the exceptional level of travelling comfort the interior is characterised by a strong feeling of personal space for both the driver and passengers.

Technical details are still under wraps but the new Accord has a unique package of passive and active safety features to deliver even greater confidence.

The new Accord and Accord Tourer models will be unveiled on Honda’s stand at 08:30 on 4 March, 2008, at the Geneva Motor Show.

Sales of the models will commence in early summer.

More information will follow on 11 February, 2008.

Hybrid engines work by combining an energy storage unit and a fueled power source, normally a battery and an internal combustion engine. The battery is meant to recapture and store any source of energy produced and wasted throughout various driving stages; for instance the energy wasted during braking. Interestingly, Honda has found a new alternative source of energy in respect of this.

The Japanese automaker is currently involved in a research using a Rankine cycle co-generation unit, in which the system works by capturing the exhaust heat from the engine and converting it to electricity. The physics behind this concept is very simple. High-pressured water is pumped into the evaporator and converted into steam by using the heat from the engine. This steam is then channelled into a volumetric expander to rotate a generator and produce electric current, which is stored in the battery pack.

Honda managed to successfully defeat the uncertainties on this system, by fitting the said unit into a standard Honda Stream and testing it. The test unit generated three times more electricity than other common systems found in hybrid cars these days.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080218.017/honda-tests-advanced-hybrid-system

The new Honda hybrid coupe, based on the Honda CR-Z concept, is expected to cost roughly 25,000 euros with higher trim levels bringing the price up to 28k. This news comes from Honda UK’s Mark Turner in an interview with Automotive News.

Turner indicates that “Europe is a key market for this model,” and it should be. With European legislators making it clear they will continue to press for emissions reductions and fuel economy, the production version of the CR-Z could play an important role in Honda reaching their target of selling 400,000 to 500,000 hybrids per year.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui mentioned that target figure at the NAIAS last January, with expectations of hitting that target by 2011. A sports coupe derived from the CR-Z concept will be one of the three hybrids on Honda’s roster, according to Fukui.

Because of the importance of this vehicle, Europe will have a lot of influence on the final design of the car already three years in the making. “We have a big say in the design, and the engineering and R&D are being finished at Offenbach in Germany,” Turner was quoted as saying.

But don’t expect the car to diverge too far away from the design of the CR-Z concept. “If we could deliver a car that looked like that,” Turner said, “it would be a big success whatever power unit we had in it.” The CR-Z, which stands for Compact Renaissance Zero, was originally designed to be more open than other small cars.

Although a fully petrol version of the production CR-Z is also under consideration, expect to see the CR-Z production model with a mild hybrid powertrain, similar to Spring 2009’s expected Global Hybrid. This system allows an electric motor to work in tandem with a petrol engine, but not on its own. Energy from braking is used to help recharge the batteries and fuel the electrics.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080220.014/honda-cr-z-production-update

One of the most prestigious and sought-after awards in the world has been won by the new Honda Accord Tourer (for Europe). The 51st International Red Dot Award for high design quality now belongs to the sharp Accord Tourer. This is actually the third time Honda has received the nod on this particular award, the first being for Honda 2000 in 2001 and Civic in 2006.

Entries numbered over 3,000 for this time, coming from far far away places – none off the planet though – numbering 51 countries to be exact.

Prof. Dr Peter Zec, Initiator of the red dot design awards, said: “Faced with the greater number of high-quality products, our international jury of acknowledged experts this year found the task of selecting the winner to be particularly challenging. This distinction explicitly acknowledges your creativity and innovative drive, and pays tribute to the high quality standards of your product.”

The future for these awards will be even more challenging as automotive design moves into the next phase where consolidation is key, at the same time consideration for safety, environment, more performance comes to the fore.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080322.002/honda-accord-tourer–wins-international-red-dot-award