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-   -   With Honda in Japan - The Clarity, Tokyo Motor Show & more (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/international-automotive-scene/193401-honda-japan-clarity-tokyo-motor-show-more.html)

Honda invited us on a trip to Japan. The agenda included an introduction to their 2030 vision, their response to the rapid changes in the global business environment, the move to alternate fuels, a visit to the Tokyo Motor Show 2017 and a quick trip to Mount Fuji.

About the 2030 Vision first. Honda aims to electrify two-thirds of their global sales by the year 2030. Out of these, 50% are going to be hybrids of some form, while 15% will be the zero emission vehicles. The electrified vehicles include all forms of hybrid, fuel cell and electric vehicles. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are going to be the main players by the year 2030. Honda will also put a central focus on the plug-in hybrid system.

For the Indian market, Honda also announced that they will have six big launches in the next three years. However, all the six models will be brought in as CKD units. No battery or pure electric cars planned for now, but they are considering hybrid models. Regarding electric cars in India, the company representatives said that they are not sure about the plan yet as they need to study the policy in India.

The first activity they had planned for us was a sneak peek at the future - a quick drive of the hybrid and fuel cell vehicles they make. They took us to the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack for the drive. It was mainly for the Honda Clarity, including its fuel cell and plug-in hybrid variants.







Honda Clarity is a full sized 5-seater sedan almost the size of an Accord. This car is not coming to India, it was just a sneak peek into the future of automobiles. In various markets the Honda Clarity has three different variants, a pure electric vehicle, a plug-in petrol hybrid and the most complex of them all - the fuel cell based electric vehicle. It is powered by hydrogen which charges the batteries which in turn supplies electricity to the electric motors of the car.

I was excited to drive the fuel cell based car. The drive was not on the main racetrack, but on a small track outside and we had two laps with the fuel cell and one lap with the plug-in hybrid with the top speed capped at 60 km/h. So, this isn’t detailed or even a quick review on the car. How is it to drive? The variants felt identical in acceleration. The acceleration till 60 was fast - a good thing about electric vehicles is the instant power delivery and the almost silent operation that feels surreal. The throttle response was crisp and the performance was fast. This is all that I can say from the few hundred meters we had. We were given the Clarity plug-in in EV mode, so it drove like a pure electric vehicle. The new Clarity PHEV has an increased output and a better capacity of the battery which helps the car with an EV range exceeding 100 km.

How the fuel cell car makes power:
https://youtu.be/_PPT8o-T7b4

Utilization of space is very efficient in the cabin; the layout is simple and the center console is dominated by a large touchscreen type infotainment system. The Climate Control retains the physical buttons. The seating is higher than an Accord, so getting in and out is an easy task:


Compared to an Accord, even at the rear, the higher seating is much more comfortable and the cabin feels more spacious too:


There is no traditional gear / mode selector, instead there are buttons to choose the drive, reverse, park modes:


Infotainment system has a lot of information available, however this car had the Japanese language selected so I could not make much out of the information displayed:


The boot of the fuel cell based Clarity, about as much space as a typical hybrid, I guess a little bit more:


The black part on the boot door is the see-through glass, not sure how much of help it will be of in day to day driving in the era of reverse sensors and cameras:


The fuel cell car can be used to generate electricity for household use. Honda had connected a power-generating unit and attached a coffee maker to display the typical practical usage expected out of it:


This is the engine bay of the fuel cell car:


The stickers on the front fenders are one of the ways to distinguish between the various variants:


Now, this is the plug-in hybrid, where the layout looks similar to an Accord hybrid that is sold in our country. The main difference here is that you can charge the car using an electric socket. The car has a capability to run 100+ km on purely electric power before it will need the help of the petrol engine to charge the batteries again:


Plug-in charge socket mounted on the front fender opens like a typical fuel filler flap. While the fuel cell based car has such a flap at the rear to give out power, this one is to take in power to charge the batteries:


One of the plug-in cars we were given to drive:


Fuel cell car in action:


An EV sports car based on the Clarity that makes almost twice the power:



We were given a hot lap in the passenger seats. This car feels really fast, like a real sports car without the engine sound. This would have been one amazing car to drive on a racetrack:


While we were waiting for turns to drive the Clarity cars, Honda gave us an option to drive these hybrid cars on a fixed course on the outer roads of the Twin Ring track. Sadly, the maximum permitted speed was just 30 km/h:


Honda Odyssey MPV was by far the plushest and the most refined amongst the hybrids offered on the drive. Everything from refinement to steering to interiors was top notch:


Honda City is called Honda Grace in Japan:


Honda Jazz is Honda Fit like in all other markets:


And this is the Honda Freed, a mid-size MPV:


Interesting thing about Grace, Fit and Freed is that they all use the same powertrain and they felt almost identical to drive.

Honda at the Tokyo Motor Show 2017

The day after the drive at the Twin Ring Motegi, we visited the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. Here is a quick glimpse of the cars on display at the Honda stall.

The first car I spotted at the Honda stall was the gorgeous NSX hybrid sportscar which is powered by a 3.5L engine and three electric motors:


This is not a new car, it has been in production since 2016:


5th generation Honda Legend hybrid facelift made its Japanese market premiere at Tokyo Motor Show 2017. The Legend is the flagship model for Honda:


A special edition of the S660 called the β special edition “#komorebi edition” was also on display:


This is a Kei-spec compact sports car:


The Japanese Kei specifications means that this car is much smaller than the smallest of the cars we have on our roads:


Interestingly not only is the cubic capacity in Kei-spec cars limited to 600cc, but also the power output capped at 63 BHP. However, the low kerb weight and the even weight distribution should result in a fun to drive experience:


The S660 is a soft top convertible:


New generation CR-V was also on display. It is available in 2WD & AWD in both 7-seater and 5-seater options. The CR-V hybrid however gets a 5-seater layout:


ASEAN spec 5th-generation CR-V also gets a 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine, interestingly mated to a 9 speed ZF transmission. Speculated to be launched in India, this will an interesting crossover to watch out for:


This is the 10th-generation Honda Civic, launched in the year 2016 globally:


Honda skipped one full generation of the Civic in India. The 9th-generation Civic was not sold in India and 8th Generation was discontinued. Honda still has that void between the City and the Accord Hybrid in India:


The fastback like integration of the C pillar looks nice:


Quite a simple design of the dashboard compared to the 8th-generation we had in India. Ergonomics and design is top notch:


The Civic hatchback was also on display:


Unveiled earlier this year, the Civic Type R is the performance variant of the Civic hatchback. The front wheel drive type R makes 306-315 BHP of power depending on the markets it is sold in. Earlier this year the Type R set a new record for FWD cars on the Nurburgring track:




Clarity PHEV was displayed at Tokyo Motor Show. This variant will go on sale in Japan in the summer of 2018. This was the Japanese premiere for this variant. The fuel cell variant has already been launched in Japan. The new Clarity PHEV has an increased output and a higher capacity battery, which helps the car with an EV range in excess of 100 km:

The new Odyssey Absolute hybrid premiered for the Japanese market at the Tokyo Motor Show. The JDM-spec Odyssey is smaller than the US-spec Odyssey:


The hybrid model is equipped with Honda’s advanced safety and driver-assistive system “Honda SENSING” along with adaptive cruise control to maintain safe distance during congestion, an electronic parking brake and Honda smart parking assist system.

The Odyssey had the most comfortable second row seats I have ever seen on an automobile. These seats can put any recliner to shame:


Also on display was the StepWGN Spada hybrid, another mid-size hybrid MPV sold in Japan. This is a refreshed version that was launched in Japan a few months back:




The Honda NeuV is an EV commuter concept model equipped with Honda’s AI technology - Honda Automated Network Assistant. It gets self-driving capabilities. The car determines the driver’s stress level from his / her facial expressions and voice tones to support safe driving. The NeuV also explores the possibilities of mobility through autonomous driving technology and AI, such as autonomous car-sharing use, with permission from its owner, when it is not being used.

The Honda NeuV Concept:


The Honda Urban EV Concept is Honda's future of the mass produced electrical vehicle. It is built upon a newly developed EV-only platform, primarily for use in urban areas. The front and rear of the car is equipped with displays that show messages and greetings to onlookers. The interior is comfortable, equipped with a large display and “Honda Automated Network Assistant” based on Honda’s AI technology.

The Honda Urban EV Concept:


Built upon an EV-specific platform, the Honda Sports EV concept model is equipped with an electric power unit in a compact body. Honda said that they want to combine the smooth acceleration and noise-free nature of the electric motor with the low center of gravity to make a nimble car for the customers. It gets “Honda Automated Network Assistant” using Honda’s AI technology.

Honda Sports EV Concept:


Motorsports display at the Honda stall.


Honda CRF250 made its Japanese debut at TMS 2017. It is a lightweight off-road adventure model:


The Honda Riding Assist-e is an experimental motorcycle featuring Honda’s balance control technology. Developed through its humanoid robot research, the motorcycle automatically balances itself using an assistive mechanism. It has primarily been designed for ultra low-speed situations that require the rider’s attention to balance, such as traffic jams or starting and stopping. An electric motor powers the Riding Assist-e.

Honda Riding Assist-e Concept motorbike:


The Neo Sports Café Concept is Honda's version of the next-generation naked sports bike:




The Monkey 125 Concept has a short stance and is coupled with a longitudinal, 125cc single-cylinder engine. It gets inverted-forks at the front, front and rear disk brakes and steel fenders. The bike also gets LED lights and a graphical digital meter.

Monkey 125 Concept:

Amidst all this automotive coverage, Honda planned a day visit to the beautiful Mount Fuji, a few hours' drive from Tokyo. They took us to the 5th Station in a coach. While returning we also had the pleasure to watch the Mount Fuji from the lake Kawaguchiko. A few photographs of the Mount Fuji.

Mount Fuji from the 5th Station:




The view from Lake Kawaguchiko:


After the second day visit to the Twin Ring Motegi for the Clarity drive, we returned to Tokyo in the Shinkansen, the bullet train. It is not the fastest route; it was cruising at around 233kph as per the GPS app in my phone:


Shinkansen at the station, which always arrives on the dot:


On the day we arrived at Tokyo, Hurricane Lan was expected to hit Tokyo. This is the view from my Hotel Room before the hurricane landed:


View next Morning:


Golden sunrise the day after:


Disclaimer: Honda invited Team-BHP to Japan. They covered all the travel expenses for this trip.

Some observations on the above quotes from Honda, Clarity sedan and electric, fuel cell vehicle cells in general.

• Honda will be forced to change their 2030 vision multiple times in the next 1-2 years itself. Almost all the automakers already changed their future road maps drastically in the last 1 year.

• Out of 3 variants of Clarity vehicle, Plug-in Hybrid is the best option and it will easily outsell the other 2 variants (full-electric, fuel cell). All-electric Clarity fails because it has very low electric range (80 miles) compared to Tesla Model 3 (220 miles or 310 miles), Chevy Bolt (238 miles), Nissan Leaf (150 miles). Plug-in Hybrid will be successful because it has very good electric only range of 47 miles (75 KMs) which is enough for most people daily driving and when needed there is ICE engine.

• Till recently, the full-electric cars did not do well because of their low range and not enough charging stations. But the Tesla changed the high end segment with Model S/X and Supercharger options. Even then they were confined to small market as they are pricey ($70,000+). That is now changing with the likes of Chevy bolt and Tesla Model 3. Since the last year Chevy volt plug-in Hybrid sales are decreasing as people are moving to fully-electric Bolt.

• Its not just the Tesla that will force the slow moving biggies like Toyota, Honda to electrics. GM is bringing in more than 20 models in all types (crossovers, compact and large SUVs etc...). VW group is investing $25 billion for electric vehicles development. Hyundai and KIA are gonna release high range electric vehicles next year. Jaguar, Audi, Porshe all are building full-electric vehicles to be released in 2018 and 19. They will be dragged to electric vehicles by competition and governments in China and Europe.

What do you guys think about Honda's design direction? All cars are sharp, edgy and busy looking and I'm not sure if I like them this way. Still, better than future Toyota designs!

Impressive tech there. Add that too the Japanese reliability and we got a winning combination. But wait! Honda's design direction certainly is not to my personal liking. They are too busy and the headlamps especially look as if a lot of things are happening inside them. And why so much chrome?! City and Jazz are the best Hondas in my view. What happened to the timeless designs like the Civic we've had?

That apart, it would be interesting to see when these advanced vehicles would be arriving on our land.

With fuel cell cars already commercially being produced and sold in Japan, I guess Honda is quietly preparing for the future without the traditional ICE.

If the push comes to a shove, it could bring these vehicles to India as CKD or CBU and shore up the electric/hybrid lineup.

The NeuV looks interesting. Any details on how it could utilize itself when the owner wasn't using it? It may all be on paper, but still would be interesting to know what the people at Honda think.

Thank you Anshuman for the report!

Yes, Honda again is starting to look smart; I see quite a lot of Civic here and car does have loads of presence. But as you said, the newer designs are a bit too busy, and there is a lot of gloss.

Happy to report that we bought a Clarity Plug in Hybrid in the USA last Friday. Unfortunately, weather hasn't cooperated since then - it's been in the -10 deg C range most of the week and dark and dull, short days - so I haven't had a chance to get the car washed again and get some pictures and write up an initial ownership report. Just swapped out the all seasons for winter tires yesterday for some extra assurance for the winter months.

100km range seems optimistic :). In the cold weather we are getting around 35 miles mostly highway. It would probably be closer to 45 miles in pleasant temperatures. If it gets hot like India, the electric range might again drop under 40 miles. So, yeah, 70 - 80 km range seems more achievable. Other than that, I echo your feelings - spacious, extremely well equipped cabin, tons of features. It can be a great commuter car as well as a practical family car. The transmission on the car is an unusual single speed unit so there is a lot of roar from the engine when the battery runs out if you encounter stop and go traffic. The trick is to plan your commute to use hybrid mode when no traffic and electric mode when there is traffic. My wife is using it as her daily driver and learning new things every day - she only had 3 days of commuting so far with it.

The tiny piece of glass is useful - more so when not backing up - just in regular driving you can see a lot more through the mirrors when you do your constant defensive driving glance.

This would mean that prices wouldn't exactly be in the sub 10 lakh bracket.

Also, plug-in hybrid seems to be the most viable option for our country, as @sri_tesla mentioned before, due to the electric range is sufficient for most office goers.

Any ETA on when these models arrive on our shores? Also, will these be on display at the upcoming Auto Expo?

Honda Clarity PHEV launching this summer!








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