Honda: a technological spectacular!

Honda is engaging in a veritable demonstration of technological know-how at this 76th Geneva Motor Show , presenting two concept cars (the Civic Type R and FCX concept), the hydrogen Home Energy Station III and the European version of the Legend.

Honda Civic Type R concept car

The Civic is one of those unsinkable cars that re-emerge in every era, each time outstripping the great expectations of the time. This is why its sport version ("R" designates Honda's sport line, like "S" at Audi and "M" at BMW), presented in Geneva in the shape of a concept car, is long awaited - p articularly by all fans of high-performance and affordable sporty cars.

This concept car borrows both from the new 3-door Civic whose commercial launch is expected towards the end of 2006, and from the compact 5-door tailgated version whose road holding and stability are already appreciated.

Beneath the bonnet is the well-known 200 hp 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft i-VTEC engine, which has already proved itself, notably in competition. This outstanding Civic will be assembled at the factory in Swindon, Great Britain, on the same lines as its counterparts of more universal appeal, and should be launched early in 2007.

The FCX concept

Already presented at the Tokyo Motor Show, this concept car is a convincing example of a fuel cell vehicle that has managed to overcome many constraints linked to the use of hydrogen. The FCX comes in the form of a 4-door saloon, whose low-floor platform integrates the fuel cell: the space thus freed up makes for a spacious passenger compartment previously unimaginable in this type of vehicle.

Another challenge, the Honda V Flow fuel cell (V Flow stands for vertical flow) obtains low temperature start-up performance equivalent to that of a petrol engine. The FCX concept's powertrain features three motors: an 80 kW unit at the front and a 25 kW motor in each rear wheel. The hydrogen tank is equipped with a new absorbent covering which doubles its storage capacity to 5 kg, thereby extending its range to 560 km (348 miles).

At the same time, the Japanese manufacturer is presenting its Home Energy Station III in Geneva, a system designed not just to supply hydrogen fuel for vehicles, but also to satisfy domestic energy requirements by producing electricity, heat and even hot water!

Generating hydrogen from natural gas supplied for residential use, this system is equipped with fuel cells which generate and supply electricity to the home. The station also recovers the heat produced during this generation of energy to heat water for the home (hard to imagine, but a great idea.).

The European Legend

The new Honda Legend, intended for the European market, will be unveiled for the very first time in Geneva. This large saloon combines luxury with a certain number of interesting technological innovations. Beneath the bonnet, its 3.5-litre VTEC engine - an all-aluminium 24-valve V6 - delivers 295 hp at 6,000 rpm and 353 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm.

The passenger compartment includes fine leather upholstery and numerous wooden inserts. But, above all, it is for its driving aids that the new Legend should be the talk of the town. As standard on all models is the original Honda Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD), along with the VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) system. The SH-AWD offers more than a traditional four-wheel-drive system with front/rear torque distribution: it adds the option of distributing torque between the left and right rear wheels. In the case of acceleration when cornering, the system accelerates the rear outside wheel; in the case of deceleration when cornering, torque variation is controlled to counterbalance oversteer.

As for safety, pedestrian protection measures include a bonnet that pops up in the event of impact, one of the first of its kind on the market. More classic (and available as an option), the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) speed regulator measures the distance to the vehicle in front and regulates the speed and distance between the vehicles accordingly.

Magazine - 01/03/06