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A digital image of a 2016 Honda CR-Z in a studio.

Who in Their Right Mind Bought a Brand-New Honda CR-Z in 2020?

The Honda CR-Z is, without a doubt, a relatively unusual and quirky hatchback. Despite its sharp looks and two-door layout, it was powered by a tiny hybrid engine that didn’t exactly scream speed. Thanks to poor sales figures, the CR-Z got the corporate ax back in 2016. However, a new end of year sales figures …

The Honda CR-Z is, without a doubt, a relatively unusual and quirky hatchback. Despite its sharp looks and two-door layout, it was powered by a tiny hybrid engine that didn’t exactly scream speed. Thanks to poor sales figures, the CR-Z got the corporate ax back in 2016. However, a new end of year sales figures by Honda reported by Motor1 show that one brand-new CR-Z found a home in 2020.

What is a Honda CR-Z?

A digital image of a 2016 Honda CR-Z in a studio.
Honda CR-Z | Honda

If this is the first time you hear of the existence of the Honda CR-Z, you’re not alone. Introduced in 2010, the CR-Z was meant to be a small, affordable hybrid hatchback with a bit of a sporty look. The very last model year, the 2016, had a base price of around $21,000. Under the hood of this tiny hatchback lives a 1.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine coupled with a hybrid-electric system. Total power output is rated at 121 hp and 128 lb-ft.

To make sure pedestrians didn’t overtake the CR-Z, Honda kept the curb weight down. The lightest model available tipped the scales at 2,670 lb. However, the CR-Z’s most interesting aspect is that it was sold with an available six-speed manual transmission. What makes this peculiar is the fact that hybrid vehicles are almost always sold with automatic transmissions.

Despite this, the Honda CR-Z never really sold well. According to CarSalesBase, the best year for the model was 2011, when Honda managed to sell 11,330 units. While that may sound like a decent amount, the Civic sold 221,235 units in the same year. As a result, it’s not surprising that the plug was pulled on this quirky hatchback. However, the CR-Z manages to live on.

How did a brand-new one sell in 2020?

A digital image of a 2016 Honda CR-Z in a studio.
Honda CR-Z | Honda

When the Honda CR-Z was killed off, there were many hatchbacks still left at dealerships across the country. As a result, 2017 saw 705 cars sold, says CarSalesBase. 2018 saw a sharp dip down to just 38 cars sold, cementing the fact that there were almost no CR-Z’s left in the country. By 2019, just two brand-new CR-Z’s sold in the U.S. While you may think this was the end for this hatchback, it was not. This is because new Honda sales figures for 2020 show that they managed to sell one brand-new CR-Z in 2020.

A look through Honda’s entire 2020 sales figures reveals that this lonely CR-Z was purchased in February 2020. This means that one unknowing customer went out before the world fell apart to a global pandemic and purchased what may be the last brand-new CR-Z available. Given the age of the vehicle, we imagine they received a sizeable discount. However, it remains to be seen whether they managed to secure the vehicle’s warranty, given that it was four years old.

How many are there left?

A digital image of a 2016 Honda CR-Z in a studio.
Honda CR-Z | Honda

If you hope to score a brand-new Honda CR-Z for pennies on the dollar, things are not looking good for you. As the year over year sales figures show, there likely aren’t many of these brand-new hatchbacks left. As we move into 2021, we will have to see if another one of these quirky machines pops up for sale. For all we know, the very last one might have already found a home.

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