Honda & Hybrid: A History | Honda Engine Room

As we welcome the latest additions to our hybrid family, the all-new Jazz and Jazz Crosstar, we look back at Honda’s history of developing hybrid cars – from our first supercar that inspired us to begin to push our boundaries even further, to the hybrid supercar of today and everything in-between.

When Muhammad Ali said, "Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are," the champion fighter wouldn’t have had the Honda NSX in mind. Yet, as the NSX turns 30 this year, it still feels as young, exciting and relevant as it did when it reached showrooms three decades ago.

It speaks volumes about the sports car’s innovative, mid-engine aluminium body construction, which provided strength and reduced mass, and V6 engine with fiendishly clever VTEC technology.

All the right ingredients were in place for a thrilling drive. And with some fine tuning by Ayrton Senna, it became one of the most rewarding sports cars that was just as happy pottering to the local supermarket as it was putting in a flying lap around the Silverstone Circuit.

The same approach of using innovative engineering and emerging technology to create the perfectly rounded sports car was employed when developing the second-generation NSX, launched in 2016.

As Honda’s first hybrid-powered sports car, some onlookers viewed it as a risky move. But it was coming from a company that boasted more than 20 years of experience of hybrid technology…

History repeats itself

While other car makers stuck to tried and tested formulas, our engineers took F1 know-how and applied it to a hybrid powertrain. It means keen drivers can have their cake and eat it – as Guy Martin, Britain’s best-known speed demon, discovered when reviewing the NSX for The Sunday Times.

"If you really wanted to," said Martin of driving at a race track, "you could drive the NSX so hard it would be jumping out of line, the back end coming out, and you wouldn’t need to do anything to correct it: the systems sort everything out. The car was just laughing at me. After a couple of days, I was struggling to think of anything I’d driven that was better than this."

As with the original NSX, Honda has made continual improvements to the super sports car, prompting Top Gear magazine to praise it for being "…something wilfully, wonderfully different" during its review of the 2020 model.

Suspension enhancements, specification upgrades and even the reintroduction of Indy Yellow Pearl II, a paint option that featured on the original NSX and S2000, have been announced.

Hybrid for all: from Insight to NSX

The NSX isn’t Honda’s first car to feature clever hybrid technology, having launched the Insight – the first mass-produced hybrid – way back in 1999. The two-seat Insight was a car that owners and critics alike believed was ahead of its time. Compact, light and ultra-efficient, it sipped fuel efficiently and heralded a raft of breakthroughs that made a hybrid-powered car a cinch to live with.

Part of the secret behind the Insight’s impressive performance was its aluminium construction, which made it light (less than 850 kilos), and super-slippery shape, which gave it one of the lowest drag values of any car on sale.

Beneath the surface, engineers paired a compact, 1-litre, three-cylinder lean-burn petrol engine together with a 10kW electric motor that could lend a hand when needed. Honda called the hybrid system Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). The result was a car capable of 83.1mpg, with CO2 emissions of just 80g/km.

2002 - 2007: hybrid power for the Civic and Accord

In Japan and the USA, hybrid power caught the public’s imagination – unsurprising given drivers were unconvinced about the emissions of diesel cars. A hybrid version of the Civic was launched in 2002 and the Accord followed suit in 2004, with updates for both in the following years.

2009: The Insight returns

For the second-generation Insight, a new approach was taken, which saw the hybrid car grow to meet all the practical needs of a family. Its five-door, five-seat configuration meant the car’s low-emission technology could benefit a wider audience.

A larger, 1.3-litre engine for the IMA system gave it ample performance while fuel economy stood comparison with any similarly priced diesel car, at 68.9mpg, and CO2 emissions were 96g/km.

2010: new CR-Z is frugal and fun

With the CR-Z, Honda’s engineers took hybrid in a new direction. Why shouldn’t a hybrid-powered car be great fun, they reasoned? The CR-Z was the answer, and it was a handsome car that put a smile on a driver’s face even before they climbed behind the wheel.

Inspired by the compact-coupe look of the CRX, it had a sporty stance that was reinforced by a racy-feeling cockpit. The 1.5-litre engine and electric motor worked together to provide 135bhp, which made the little car seriously nippy – yet it was still capable of 54mpg, which was considerably better than a similar-size petrol sports car.

2010: Jazz hybrid is music to drivers’ ears

The Jazz changed its tune in 2010, with the adoption of a new IMA hybrid system that provided drivers with a compact car that boasted the fuel economy of a diesel without the harmful NOx emissions associated with diesel fuel.

It could achieve nearly 63mpg, and it emitted 104g/km of CO2, managing all this without affecting the Jazz’s acclaimed, spacious and versatile interior.

2019: evolution at its best with the CR-V Hybrid

To create a large, spacious and practical SUV, with the option of four-wheel drive, our engineers faced their greatest challenge yet when shaping a hybrid powertrain that would exceed expectations. So, they reinvented hybrid, with new e:HEV hybrid technology, which represents evolution at its best.

Powering the hugely successful CR-V – the world’s best-selling SUV – the e:HEV hybrid engine heralded a new approach, with a larger, more powerful lithium-ion battery and dual electric motors that could power the car in nearly all driving conditions.
CR-V OVERVIEW

Meanwhile a smooth 2-litre, Atkinson Cycle petrol engine either acts as a generator, charging the battery, or lends a hand for maximum get-up-and-go. It has proved so successful that What Car? named the CR-V Hybrid the best hybrid car costing more than £30,000, in both 2019 and 2020.
WHAT CAR? AWARDS

2020: Jazz and Jazz Crosstar

Taking lessons learned from the CR-V Hybrid, the next generation of Jazz supermini will use the same type of e:HEV hybrid technology to achieve an outstanding blend of high economy (62.8mg) and performance with low emissions. Alternating between its three drive modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive – according to the conditions, the advanced technology in the Jazz makes it more relevant than ever in today's driving environment.

At the same time, a sportier and more dynamic looking version of the Jazz, called Crosstar, joins Honda’s hybrid family. Sporting a tough, muscular style with a distinctive grille, sleek integrated roof rails and increased ground clearance for a commanding view of the road ahead, the Crosstar has been designed with active lifestyles in mind.
JAZZ OVERVIEW