The visual alterations from the standard model are slight, apparently down to tweaked bumpers and headlight glass and a unique Lime Green metallic color. The Jazz Hybrid features the same IMA hybrid drivetrain as the CR-Z and Insight, so don’t expect Prius-slaying fuel economy numbers, though Honda claims they will be comparable to the smaller CR-Z.

Earlier this month Honda reiterated the fact that there were no U.S. plans for a Fit Hybrid. However, with the Insight and Civic Hybrid in obvious trouble, Honda devoted to hybrid powertrains and the Fit still a popular option on our shores, we wouldn’t be surprised if that changed. After all, in December 2006 Honda said there wouldn’t be a Fit Hybrid at all. The Fit Hybrid will make its formal debut at the Paris Motor Show next month, but you can have a look at it and the European Jazz Hybrid in the gallery.

The FC Sport emphasizes the design flexibility and potential of Honda’s V Flow fuel cell technology – already deployed in the Honda FCX Clarity sedan – and reconfigures it into a lightweight sports car design with an ultra-low center of gravity, powerful electric motor performance and zero-emissions. It’s design study concept is inspired by supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain.

“The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum,” said Dan Bonawitz, vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “People who love sports cars will still have a reason to love in a hydrogen-powered future.”

TSX: Based on Japanese-Euro Accord: has powerful double plenum grille (same as that found on the new 2009 Acura RL) and all.

In the grand scheme of things, Honda does two Accords. One ‘narrow body’ car for Japan and Europe. Then a ‘wider body’ model for North America with different looks. So it goes that this 2009 TSX is closely linked to the new European Accord, which coincidentally went live and got its official launch party at the Geneva Salon in early March.

Photos by Honda

Acura: Going Diesel vs. Hybrid

The real headliner, though, is the introduction of Honda’s second-generation 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel, a state-of-the-art, ultra-clean engine Honda has confirmed will launch in the U.S. in 2009 and seems all set to drop into this new TSX.

Dubbed i-DTEC, it’s said to be smoother, cleaner and even more refined than the acclaimed i-CTDi engine, Honda’s first diesel that’s sold exclusively in Europe to date. So clean, in fact, that the i-DTEC already meets America’s tough ‘Tier II Bin 5′ emission standards, Honda says, and the next stringent European benchmark — Euro 5 — as well.

True, the diesel won’t have the outright power of the gas 2.4 but if the European TDI is any guide, (it develops a massive 258 ft. lbs. at just 2,000 rpm) it will be in another league for torque. Both gas and diesels come with six-speed manual or five-speed auto boxes.

The big question mark with the diesel will likely be price. Diesels cost more to build and to buy, but offer excellent economy over time and distance. So the price premium needs to be weighed carefully. For fast, smooth-revving driveability, though, these latest-generation Euro diesels are simply a world away from all the clattery diesels of the past. And if gas prices keep rising, the eco-charms of Honda’s efficient new turbodiesel could suddenly win a whole lot of friends.

Acura tsx rear view

TSX’s Euro Style

Visually, the Acura TSX gets a different grille and set of wheels compared with Europe’s new Accord. Size, meantime, takes a sizeable leap upward, the new model being more than 2 inches longer and 3 inches wider, also sitting some quarter-inch lower.

Underneath the rakish new sheet metal lies a substantially more rigid platform with new front double-wishbone and rear multilink suspension

All along, the Acura TSX has been a worthy alternative to the benchmark BMW 3-Series, despite having ‘only’ four cylinders and front-wheel-drive.

So it’s no surprise Acura is rolling out a new one and like its European/Japanese Accord relation, it clearly packs a lot of promise.

Acura TSX : $ 28,960

With new images, some of the car’s technical details have also been revealed by Acura in official unveiling. The renew designed 2009 Acura TL will arrive in showrooms soon. This luxury sedan is available in two distinctive versions including ‘Super Handling All-Wheel Drive’ (SH-AWD) on the TL.

The TL continue with Acura’s new design language seen on the redesigned TSX and RL, featuring a bold front grille treatment. Outback, the TL looks to have an Accord-inspired rear fascia, but its design is rather exaggerated and could polarize some potential customers. Looking awesome by the way! The TL’s interior is less controversial and features several arches in its design language.

As said, the new TL will be available in two versions: a base front-wheel drive car and an up-level all-wheel drive model. The front-driver will be powered by a 285 horsepower 3.5L V6 whereas the AWD model will receive its motivation from a 3.7L V6 producing 305 horsepower. Both models will use a five-speed automatic transmission.

Despite boasting 305 horsepower and all-wheel drive, the range-topping model will not sport the Type-S nameplate but will be distinguished by quad exhaust. In fact, Acura will not offer a Type-S model, at least not in 2009. It remains unclear if the performance model will eventually join the lineup.

The Honda FCX is a hydrogen fuel cell powered electric car featuring the latest ultracapacitor power storage technology. The Fuel-Cell powered vehicle is about to hit the markets by 2008.

Company officials call the car pictured here a “concept,” but that description requires some context. Pure concept cars are a rarity at Honda Motor Co., and until now the company had not produced a concept car that carries the name of an existing model. Rest assured that the Accord Coupe Concept, revealed in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, is very close to the eighth-generation Accord that’s expected to go on sale as a 2009 model sometime around the spring or summer of 2008.

Even Honda’s press literature concedes that the Accord Coupe Concept “reveals a totally new look for the next-generation Accord, along with key technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and performance.”

The Accord Coupe Concept is very close to production quality, in terms of finish and manufacturability, right down to its production-car tires. It has the classic flowing coupe look, with a long hood, fastback roof and short rear deck, yet in certain respects it’s also quite angular. Its prominent honeycomb grille has six distinct edges, and its projector beam headlights are recessed deeply into the front fenders under angular covers. This is also the most aggressive looking Accord yet, with sculpted lower-body cladding and quad exhaust outlets that scream “go fast.”

This is quite sure that the next Accord will offer a choice between at least one four-cylinder engine and a V6.
The V6 in the concept featured Honda’s i-VTEC variable valve timing, and the company says the next Accord V6 will be more fuel efficient, thanks to its next-generation Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology. This system de-activates every other cylinder when the car is cruising under light load to reduce fuel consumption.

The auto-show buzz suggested the next Accord coupe will feature another first, which Honda officials didn’t deny: a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The recently launched Acura RDX features Honda’s first turbocharged production engine in a car or truck in North America. By its design and performance, that 240-hp 2.3-liter four would be nicely suited to a coupe of the Accord’s sporting intent.

Safety features in the next-generation Accord were established by Honda’s Safety for Everyone initiative, which set a baseline for standard equipment on all future models: front and side-impact airbags for front-seat occupants, curtain-style head protection airbags front and rear, electronic stability control, advanced anti-lock brakes and Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure. ACE incorporates a front-end frame structure designed to absorb and disperse crash energy over a large area in a frontal impact. It also makes the vehicle more crash compatible in impacts between vehicles of differing ride heights.

A concept car, maybe, but this much is clear. If you like the look of the Accord Coupe Concept, you will probably like the next Accord coupe. You should be able to buy one in this year.