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Honda has taken a fresh approach to hybrids with its CR-Z, the car it is billing as the world's first hybrid sports coupe and which is now on sale in South Africa. Instead of reinventing the car in hybrid form, as Toyota have done with the Prius, Honda created a car that is sporty, fun and enhanced by hybrid technology.

The key to the CR-Z is its parallel hybrid drivetrain. In simple terms, this consists of a doughnut-shape electric motor about 50mm wide sandwiched between a 1.5-litre motor and a six-speed manual transmission.

Looking into the engine bay of one of the CR-Zs on display at Honda's official Cape Town launch on Tuesday, I could see that the hybrid makeup of this car is inconspicuous. A barely-visible three-phase power cable connector is the only item that suggests there's more to the drive train than would at first appear.

The electric motor is connected to a 100.8-volt nickel metal hydride battery ? weighing in at roughly 40 kilograms - that sits in the rear space normally occupied by the spare wheel on most cars. A space-saver spare wheel is located just above the battery and the fuel tank has been shifted to below the back row of seats.

'Doughnut' power

The motor supplements the power of the engine, giving it the power and performance of a 1.8-litre unit and the fuel economy and emissions of a Honda VTEC 1.5-litre. Another bonus is that the engine?s CO2 emissions are 117g/kg, which puts it below the 120 g/km threshold for the new carbon tax that will come into effect in South Africa in September 2010.

Engine management systems also play an integral part in superb performance. At low rpm only one of the two inlet valves on each cylinder is in operation, leading to improved combustion and power. The second valve is opened up as the revs reach the middle of the range to help deliver the kick in the pants that the VTEC engines have earned a reputation for.

The 10Kw electric motor also plays its part, delivering torque of 78.4 Nm at low to medium engine speeds. The entire drive train produces 91kW of maximum power at 6100rpm, and a chunky 174Nm of torque, available from 1000 rpm. The set up also creates a relatively flat torque curve and the CR-Z pulls with the determination of a team of a dozen oxen from the word go up until redline is reached.