Spy Shots: Honda's hybrid Prius-fighter caught
07-17-08, 07:39 AM
#2
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Posted Jul 16th 2008 7:23PM
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Spy Shots: Honda's hybrid Prius-fighter caught
Honda's oft-discussed, yet never spied Prius-fighter has been caught by the merry minions at KGP. A parade of three cars were shot in the desert, including the prototype you see above, a facelifted Civic Hybrid and the new model's arch rival, the Toyota Prius.
While the cloaked mule's shape could be easily mistaken as a Prius, the two-tier instrument cluster is a dead giveaway of the prototype's Honda origins. The nose is notably lower than its Toyota competition and although the hatch is an obvious rip on the Prius' aerodynamic rear, the fenders have a discernibly steeper angle, along with a trunk lid sporting a small spoiler.
The unnamed hybrid from Honda will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and will adopt many of the design cues found on the big H's hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity sedan.
Honda's oft-discussed, yet never spied Prius-fighter has been caught by the merry minions at KGP. A parade of three cars were shot in the desert, including the prototype you see above, a facelifted Civic Hybrid and the new model's arch rival, the Toyota Prius.
While the cloaked mule's shape could be easily mistaken as a Prius, the two-tier instrument cluster is a dead giveaway of the prototype's Honda origins. The nose is notably lower than its Toyota competition and although the hatch is an obvious rip on the Prius' aerodynamic rear, the fenders have a discernibly steeper angle, along with a trunk lid sporting a small spoiler.
The unnamed hybrid from Honda will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and will adopt many of the design cues found on the big H's hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity sedan.
07-17-08, 08:00 AM
#4
Lexus Champion
damn, they 99.9% copied the Prius....hah!!!
but glad to see Honda build this car...sooner the better!
Hopefully pricing will undercut the Prius...its supposed to from what I've heard.
but glad to see Honda build this car...sooner the better!
Hopefully pricing will undercut the Prius...its supposed to from what I've heard.
Last edited by bagwell; 07-17-08 at 10:06 AM.
They should have turned that awesome fuel cell car into a hybrid.
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07-17-08, 09:48 AM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Appears to be almost as ugly as the Prius which is a feat. 
But in fuel-economy obsessed times, design options are few, cars will look like rounded mounds although the chopped back on this one is probably to make loading up from the back easier and to give more space.
I really hope it turns out to be less quirky than the Pious.
But in fuel-economy obsessed times, design options are few, cars will look like rounded mounds although the chopped back on this one is probably to make loading up from the back easier and to give more space.
I really hope it turns out to be less quirky than the Pious.
07-17-08, 09:48 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
07-17-08, 10:10 AM
#11
Lexus Champion
and I guarantee this car will be a complete success as long as the price is right...actually, they could probably base MSRP it at $25K and sell a million of them, but I think their stated goal was to undercut the Prius price right?
07-17-08, 11:05 AM
#13
For all the bashing on how honda copied toyota, how do you guys know this shape isn't mainly for aerodynamics purposes. I guarantee you, if they make this vehicle look like a normal sedan, then they're not going to get the results they want. Toyota just happened to found an awesome shape for its purpose. Granted it looks retarded, it serves its purpose. For those who want a more 'normal' looking vehicle, get a civic hybrid.
With that in mind, I think it looks ugly as hell, just like the cheese-wedge white prius behind it
With that in mind, I think it looks ugly as hell, just like the cheese-wedge white prius behind it
07-17-08, 12:29 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Looks very odd looking and ugly like the Prius so far, looks like a cross between a Prius and the Honda FCX. They should have tried to make it look more like the FCX as the FCX looks much better. I have read the Prius design was influenced mainly by aerodynamics and fuel efficiency and it was the ideal shape for getting the best mpg as well as offering usable space, so it is likely you will see many 4 door hybrids resemble the prius shape if they are going for max efficiency. Unfortunately it is a ugly design but I can understand why they want to focus mainly on fuel economy then attractive looks when it comes to high mpg hybrids.