CR-Z So Dead That Honda PR Rep Thought Cancellation Was Already Announced
You know the situation is bad when a person supposedly representing a vehicle already thinks their company announced said vehicle’s death months ago.
During a phone call with TTAC, a Honda rep let slip that the automaker “already announced” the death of the long-in-the-tooth CR-Z.
The problem: Honda’s made no such announcement for North America. Uh-oh.
It should come as no surprise Honda’s much-hyped spiritual successor to the CRX will be taken out behind the service bay barn and shot. With only two doors, two seats, limited cargo-carrying ability, a hefty curb weight and low horsepower … well, would you buy one? Of course you wouldn’t. And you didn’t.
Honda just dropped a ‘Final Label’ edition of the CR-Z in Japan, which basically amounts to a billboard announcing the model’s impending demise. The company also dropped a number of hybrids from its North American lineup last year — but kept the CR-Z. Even a factory supercharging kit couldn’t boost CR-Z sales.
What’s worse: the world forgetting about you, or one of your parents believing you moved out months ago?
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If Honda wants to take another stab at reviving a beloved nameplate--and will do it right this time--I suggest the Prelude.
Dom Portwood: Who's he? Bob Porter: You know, squirrely looking guy, mumbles a lot. Dom Portwood: Oh, yeah. Bob Slydell: Yeah, we can't actually find a record of him being a current employee here. Bob Porter: I looked into it more deeply and I found that apparently what happened is that he was laid off five years ago and no one ever told him, but through some kind of glitch in the payroll department, he still gets a paycheck. Bob Slydell: So we just went ahead and fixed the glitch. Bill Lumbergh: Great. Dom Portwood: So um, Milton has been let go? Bob Slydell: Well just a second there, professor. We uh, we fixed the *glitch*. So he won't be receiving a paycheck anymore, so it will just work itself out naturally. Bob Porter: We always like to avoid confrontation, whenever possible. Problem solved from your end.
My next door neighbors have a CRZ: a perfect car for an older married couple with no kids. Their other car is a CRV - really.
The CR-Z only needed a proper Civic Si motor and a close-ratio 6-speed manual. Because people were expecting "son of CR-X," not another two-seater commuter car like the Insight.