EnviroCar

The second-largest Japanese automaker set to unveil a

Honda has been at the forefront in hybrid powertrain development for years. It plans to continue driving innovation when it unveils the latest Small Hybrid Sports Coupe at the Geneva motor show, alongside a working prototype of its FCX fuel cell concept first seen at the Tokyo motor show in 2005.

Honda has not provided many details regarding the Small Hybrid Sports Coupe (HSC) concept. Suffice to say that the Toyota FT-HS, which won the acclaim of many automotive journalists when it was unveiled by the company in Detroit, has competition. Rival automaker Honda won’t sit idly by an let Toyota reap the benefits of environmentally-conscious consumers seeking a bit of fun in the drivers seat.

The HSC is not an entirely new direction for Honda however; the company unveiled another HSC at the Tokyo motor show of 2003 under the Acura nameplate. The name stood for “high performance sports concept” and was powered by a mid-mounted 3.5-litre V6 engine good for 300bhp. Increased awareness concerning global warming and resource depletion has made Honda fit an alternative propulsion system to this HSC coupe concept, and we’ll now see what awaits.

This HSC coupe concept, as the name accurately describes, will achieve momentum through a hybrid powertrain and has been designed by the company’s European centre based in Offenbach, Germany. The company claims it was developed to “explore the idea that a car can have a low environmental impact yet still deliver all the driving enjoyment expected of a compact sports car”.

The Honda FCX, showcasing the company’s advanced fuel cell technology, will also be unveiled for the first time at a European motor show. The working prototype features a newly developed compact and efficient Honda fuel cell stack which will power the sleek, low-slung saloon to a claimed (and limited) top speed of 100mph, with a range slightly over 356 miles. The large cabin and futuristic styling complement the concept’s powerplant and promise to offer practical utility in non-polluting form.

Limited marketing of a new fuel cell vehicle based on the FCX concept is set to begin in Japan and the US in 2008.