By Agence France-Presse

CHIBA, Japan–Japan’s Honda Motor Co. plans to release a more affordable hybrid car by 2009, hoping to boost sales among consumers who now find eco-friendly vehicles too expensive.

Japanese automakers pioneered hybrid-engine cars such as Honda’s Civic Hybrid, which save fuel costs and have proven to be major hits at a time of soaring oil prices.

Honda showed to the Tokyo Motor Show the CR-Z concept car, a lightweight sports model with a hybrid engine.

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By Daniel Rook
Agence France-Presse

CHIBA, Japan–Zany concept vehicles, fuel efficient hybrids and muscular supercars vied for attention as the Tokyo Motor Show opened Wednesday with Japanese automakers eager to revive moribund domestic sales.

From bubble-shaped vehicles of the future to sleek petrol-guzzling sports cars, makers showed off their latest efforts to push the boundaries of automotive technology.

Rivals showed off their green credentials with an array of environmentally friendly vehicles crammed into a convention centre near the capital, as record high oil prices prompt unprecedented interest in fuel-efficient motoring.

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