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November 8, 2015

Tokyo Motor Show 2015: Honda Shows What Sweet Dreams Are Made Of

Photos by Ulysses Ang
Driven by “The Power of Dreams”, Honda has always been striving to create new values by converging people’s dreams with the dreams of its own engineers and designers. Since the Super Cub’s debut in 1958, Honda has offered mobility solutions that not only provide dependable Point A to Point B transportation, but also allow people to expand their potential. Though lost in the past few years, Honda is again showing that renowned DNA once more.

“When I became president of Honda, one of the themes I set in our pursuit of a new Honda is the “Continuous development of challenging products unique to Honda and delivering them to our customers around the world,” says Takahiro Hachigo, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.



Taking center stage is Honda’s all-new fuel cell vehicle, the Clarity. After 13 years since Honda opened the door to the future by being the world’s first automaker to offer a fuel cell vehicle to market, the Clarity is the next step in providing outstanding environmental performance while also offering a fun to drive attitude.

With a downsized fuel cell powertrain, the Clarity has a roomy five-seater interior comparable to that of a conventional gasoline-powered sedan thanks to Honda’s “man maximum, machine minimum” engineering. The Clarity’s 130 kW (174 horsepower) motor output is enough to keep enthusiasts enthralled. Furthermore, it can go 700 kilometers between fill-ups and can be fully refueled in just three minutes—putting it at the top of the class in terms of range compared to other fuel cell vehicles. And by tapping into Honda’s key strength in providing power generation solutions, the Clarity FCV will be sold alongside the Power Exporter 9000. This is an external power feeding device that has the capacity to feed a week’s worth of electricity for an average household.



Sharing the limelight with the Clarity is Honda’s new-generation supercar: all-new NSX. Embodying the origin of its name—New Sports Experience—the all-new NSX features a newly-developed direct-injection twin-turbo VTEC V6 engine mounted vertically midship on a lightweight body together with a three-motor hybrid system that realizes both outstanding driving performance and fuel economy. It drives all four wheels courtesy of its Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling-All Wheel Drive). Hachigo sums up the handling quite simply: “I drove this all-new NSX and enjoyed a sense of oneness with the vehicle that comes from ‘on-the-rails’ driving.”

The extremely low and wide body style features a dynamic and elegant cockpit developed under the concept of “Human Support Cockpit” which offers excellent visibility along with an unmistakably exotic car driving position.



Closer to the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM), Honda announces something that their customers can enjoy a bit sooner than the all-new NSX: the Civic Type-R.

Developed with the goal of creating the “best Civic Type-R model ever”, the all-new Civic Type-R pours all of Honda’s sports DNA into a mass market model.

Expressing Honda’s can-do attitude, the Civic Type-R is engineered and developed on the world’s most demanding test courses and race tracks including the Nurburgring in Germany. It packs Honda’s first-ever turbocharged high-revving VTEC engine with 310 horsepower from just 2.0-liters of displacement (red line is 7,000 rpm). The mono-scroll turbo features an electric waste gate along with a direct injection system. This engine is mated solely to a lightweight six-speed manual.


Holding the record as the fastest production front-engine, front-wheel drive car ever, the Civic Type-R features a dual axis front suspension system that can easily handle high torque input. It also has a four-point Adaptive Damper System that gives real-time control of each wheel based on driver input and vehicle status. Finally, Agile Handling Assist (AHA) enhances turn-in and line-trace characteristics contributing to an accurate steering feel even on slippery surfaces.

Styled to provide maximum straight line stability and steering feel, the Civic Type-R has most of its underbody covered while spoilers at the front, sides, and rear all contribute to outstanding aerodynamics while reducing negative lift improving high speed stability.

In all their mobility solutions and concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda continues to embody original ideas through their innovative technologies. It’s clear that the New Honda doesn’t let go of their ideas and passions without at least trying something. Such determination runs through all of their new product offerings. Driven by The Power of Dreams, Honda continues to take on challenges to deliver cars that deliver inspiration and joy to every customer around the world.



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