Honda CR-Z brings in 7,000 orders in Japan, more than annual sales target

Honda Motor Co. said today that it has racked up 7,000 orders in Japan for its new CR-Z hybrid hatchback, which went on sale at its domestic dealers on Feb. 25. That’s good news for Honda because the Japanese automaker originally planned on selling 12,000 units of the CR-Z annually.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z will hit U.S. markets later this summer. Honda expects to sell 15,00 units of the two-seater hybrid in North America.

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Refresher: The 2011 Honda CR-Z is powered by a 1.5L i-VTEC mated to Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system. It produces a total of 122-hp and a maximum torque of 128 lb-ft when mated to manual transmission (123 lb-ft for CVT models). Fuel-economy is estimated at 31/37 mpg (city/highway) for the manual model and 36/38 mpg for the CVT model. Sales begin in the second half of 2010.

2010 Detroit: 2011 Honda CR-Z:

2010 Detroit: 2011 Honda CR-Z 2010 Detroit: 2011 Honda CR-Z 2010 Detroit: 2011 Honda CR-Z 2010 Detroit: 2011 Honda CR-Z

– By: Omar Rana

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