According to Honda, the production version of the Li Nian concept will be available to the Chinese market during the Guangzhou Motor Show. This is set to happen by the end of 2010, but the company did not release any other details about the car. Reviewers suspect that the model will be based on the Honda City, a small sedan which was also based on the Jazz’s platform, but nothing official has been announced.

The Honda City is powered by a 1.8 liter engine which is perfect for a smooth, city cruise. The concept car’s name “Li Nian” means “idea” in English, and with the spare information released about the concept car, it remains just like that right now: an idea. Consumers may have to wait for a few more months before this idea can be realized by Honda. The Li Nian concept car was first introduced to the public in 2008, and after two years of waiting, the Chinese market is just hoping that it will be well worth the wait. Based on the photos alone, the concept “idea” car Li Nian seems to hold a lot of promise.

The CR-Z hybrid will be powered by the 4-cylinder i-VTEC 1.5L engine that makes use of the Integrated Motor Assist(IMA) by Honda. It looks like that this car shares most of its DNA with the recently rolled out Insight Hybrid. The CR-Z makes use of a 10 kilowatt electric motor which accelerates the car and recaptures power as it coasts and decelerates. The energy is stored in a 100 volt battery pack made of nickel metal hydride.

The fuel economy is not the best as we expect for small hybrids. The electric engine is paired with six speed manual transmission or via a continuously variable transmission. The CVT version rates 36/38 mpg which is just like the Ford Fiesta while the manual hits worse at 31/37 mpg.

Though the fuel economy is not impressive the CR-Z still makes it as a AT-PZEV or Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle as per CARB standards.

The Honda CR-Z hybrid has an output of 122 horsepower at 6,000 rpm with 128 lb-ft of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm.

The car will be sold with a base and EX versions. The base comes with the usual standard features of stability system, climate control, ABS, and cruise control. The EX will add HID headlamps, leather trim, fog lamps, Bluetooth, and a 360-watt entertainment system.

Some experts comment on the absence of the Honda brand in the premium end of the auto world where rear wheel drive sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus dominate the race. Ito does not see the sense in producing front engine and rear drive cars by imitating the other brands that have devoted almost half a century developing their cars.

The Honda leader wants to focus their target on producing medium and large sedans that will sport their new engines, transmissions, technologies, packaging, and efficiency. The Japanese brand is locked on developing good hybrids that may dominate the market in the future.

Last fall, Honda announced the release of the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD equipped with a V6 engine coupled with manual transmission. The car targets drivers which are after the performance of their cars, and they will surely capture a chunk of the market with the SH-AWD system paired with manual transmission.

The use of the AWD system in the premium brand Acura places it side by side with Audi which has crafted the AWD very well with their Audi quattro technology.

The market will tell if the Acura brand relying on front drive, fuel efficient sedans can compete with the premium brands producing RWDs.