2012 NAIAS: Honda Accord Coupe Concept
Our main criticism of Honda these days is that they don’t seem to be willing to push any design or powertrain boundaries. It’s the same old transmissions and engines going into more-or-less the same old designs. That criticism was only partially addressed when Honda rolled out the Accord Coupe Concept which features some new powertrains in a coupe that looks very much like what you’ve been able to buy at any Honda dealer the past few years. We know that when the production Accord launches later this summer it will look like what you see here minus the fancy wheels and shiny bits.
It’s not ugly by any means; it’s just not anything we’ll get excited about. The powertrain updates coming in the new Accord are slightly more encouraging. The V6 will continue with a little more power and a cylinder deactivation system, but the volume 2.4-liter I4 adds direct injection for a power and efficiency boost that Honda says should return best -in-class EPA numbers. A new 6-speed automatic will be available but the big news is a plug-in hybrid model will try to find success where the previous Accord Hybrid failed miserably. A 2.0-liter I4 will be the on-board engine and a 6 kWh lithium-ion battery will allow for an electric range of 10-15 miles at speeds up to 62 mph. High-tech stuff. Now if we could just get excited about the wrapper.
Photos by Jason Muxlow
