(Wed 30 Sep 09)

Honda's stand at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens next month, will feature the nearest thing we have yet seen to a production version of the forthcoming CR-Z sports car.

The Tokyo vehicle is called the CR-Z Concept 2009, but Honda also describes it as a prototype, suggesting that it's not far removed from the production car. The "real" CR-Z will be able to claim two features previously unavailable to the public - it's the first petrol-electric hybrid sports car, and the first of any kind to feature a six-speed manual gearbox.

Also on display are the Skydeck, a six-seater hybrid MPV, and the EV-N (pictured below), an all-electric city car heavily inspired by the tiny N360 which first went on sale back in the 1960s.

Unlike the CR-Z, these are simply design studies, and Honda insists that they will not go beyond that. In the case of the EV-N we're rather sorry about that, because if it ever went into production it would instantly rival the Fiat 500 as the cutest car you could buy.

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