Remember this car? It was the CRX successor that wasn't.
The
Honda CR-Z has been a pretty big failure to both the automaker and
enthusiasts. The hybrid hatchback is in no way the spiritual successor
to the CRX despite the similarities the two share, and its sales numbers
are atrocious. In May 2016 the CR-Z moved only 234 units in the US.
That looks even worse when you realize Honda sold 133,547 cars in May alone.
So, yeah, it’s not looking so hot. While the end hasn’t been officially
announced it looks to be close with the reveal of the CR-Z Final Label
in Japan.
The
special edition has a new set of 17-inch alloy wheels, bits and bobs
from higher trims and the requisite “Final Edition” badging and
stitching on the seats. Overall the CR-Z Final Edition looks a lot like
any other CR-Z. While this looks to be the last gasp for the hatchback
in Japan it’s worth noting that Honda hasn’t said anything about the
car’s fate in the US. About a year ago there was a rumor that a
refreshed version could “make a big comeback in 2017.”
The plan was to make the second-gen on a shortened version of the
Civic’s platform and to drop the hybrid setup in favor of a de-tuned
version of the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo-four.
That
would knock power up considerably from the CR-Z's current output of 140
hp and 127 lb-ft of torque. While that sounds like a cool car on paper
we have a hard time believing the big wigs at Honda would approve of it.
Adding further fuel to the “CR-Z is dead” fire is the fact that Honda
told us the less-than-hot hatch is no longer in its press fleet. This
could be for a variety of reasons…or it could be because it’s for
journalists to review a car that’s going to be axed.
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