Photo: Honda
Honda of Brazil has revealed plans to start selling a flex-fuel version of the latest 1-liter turbocharged version the company is currently developing. It will be available in late 2016 or early 2017 on the Fit subcompact hatchback and its City sedan cousin.
Of course, if Brazil has time to take a new engine and make it run on ethanol by early 2017, Japan should have it even sooner. But we're not here to place bets.
Honda's decision to launch a downsized engine in Brazil seems justified. Volkswagen and Ford are making headlines with their three-banger turbocharged units. There is also a possibility that the tiny VTEC turbo will be offered on the HR-V crossover too.
The three-cylinder engine will come with a new type of turbocharger, with a low moment of inertia and high responsiveness, and direct injection technology to achieve a good balance between high output and torque. Crucially, it gives Honda that cutting-edge persona it's been lacking in recent years.
According to UOL, the 1-liter pushes out around 130 horsepower, the same output as the 1.6-liter i-DTEC. That means it could replace the old 1.4-liter 16V and even the 1.8 used by the HR-V. Honda US has no plans to downsize the Fit, but considering it has done it to the Civic, that might happen eventually.
The Civic makers have been busy, little working bees. Their fuel cell system is almost ready and will be available in Britain next year. A standardized stack means future Honda FCVs will be able to be built on the same platforms as regular cars. A smaller pure-EV with the sexy look of the NSX and about 350 horsepower is also in the pipeline.
Of course, the biggest changes are happening in the mainstream niches. For example, conventional gasoline engines are reaching the same level of efficiency as hybrids, which is why the all-new 2016 Civic dropped its electric bits.
Honda's decision to launch a downsized engine in Brazil seems justified. Volkswagen and Ford are making headlines with their three-banger turbocharged units. There is also a possibility that the tiny VTEC turbo will be offered on the HR-V crossover too.
The three-cylinder engine will come with a new type of turbocharger, with a low moment of inertia and high responsiveness, and direct injection technology to achieve a good balance between high output and torque. Crucially, it gives Honda that cutting-edge persona it's been lacking in recent years.
According to UOL, the 1-liter pushes out around 130 horsepower, the same output as the 1.6-liter i-DTEC. That means it could replace the old 1.4-liter 16V and even the 1.8 used by the HR-V. Honda US has no plans to downsize the Fit, but considering it has done it to the Civic, that might happen eventually.
The Civic makers have been busy, little working bees. Their fuel cell system is almost ready and will be available in Britain next year. A standardized stack means future Honda FCVs will be able to be built on the same platforms as regular cars. A smaller pure-EV with the sexy look of the NSX and about 350 horsepower is also in the pipeline.
Of course, the biggest changes are happening in the mainstream niches. For example, conventional gasoline engines are reaching the same level of efficiency as hybrids, which is why the all-new 2016 Civic dropped its electric bits.
Google News