Honda CR-Z confirmed for production

The news was announced by Honda CEO Takanobu Ito, who says that the CR-Z will be released in Japan in February 2010, with sales in other markers like Europe and North America to follow soon after. A full-scale production model is expected to be showcased at the Detroit Motor Show next January.

The Tokyo show concept is a three-seater, but Honda says that the production version will have four seats. Designed with the idea of "low, short, and wide," the CR-Z Concept shows sportier lines than the Honda Insight.

There are still rumours that a strict two-seater version will be sold in European markets, but Honda has so far yet to confirm the news. The CR-Z is expected to be launched in export markets in the "second half of 2010," according to a press statement.

"We plan to launch a production automobile based on the CR-Z Concept 2009," Ito told a gathered audience at the Tokyo Motor Show. The CR-Z Concept 2009 is a hybrid powered by a 1.5-litre petrol i-VTEC engine and the IMA "highly efficient Honda hybrid system." The company claims it is the world's first hybrid built with a six-speed manual transmission.