- The CRX study references Honda’s second-generation model from 1987-1991.
- Designers imagined the revived CRX with a 261kW electric powertrain.
- Honda has not announced official plans to revive the CRX.
Honda may be busy bringing the Prelude back, but two independent designers have aimed at a different corner of the brand’s nostalgia cupboard: the CRX.
The digital study imagines a modern version of Honda’s compact 1980s hatch, taking clear inspiration from the second-generation CRX sold between 1987 and 1991.
It is not an official Honda project, but the response is easy to understand. Small, light-looking, sharply styled three-door Hondas have been thin on the ground for a while.
Eighties shape, EV heart
The concept comes from designer and modeller Vitaly Batalka, with CG artist Valentin Komkov handling the final visualisation.
The original CRX proportions remain central to the idea: short wheelbase, low roofline and that familiar split rear glass.
The front end has been modernised with slim LED lighting, a closed-off nose and a new Honda badge sitting neatly in the centre. The bonnet surfacing and black bumper trim nod back to the original, while the rear gets horizontal tail-lights and an illuminated CRX badge.
From the side, the update is clean rather than cartoonish. There are black pillars, frameless doors, flush handles, widened rear haunches and futuristic two-tone wheels. It is retro, but not stuck rummaging through an old brochure.
Fictional specs, tempting numbers
The designers also created a retro-styled “Turbo 2026” collector card with fictional technical details.
In that version, the reborn CRX is imagined as a fully electric hatchback producing 261kW.
A claimed 285km/h top speed is part of the fantasy sheet, though that feels rather ambitious for an EV with that output. Still, the basic idea of a small electric Honda with serious punch is exactly the kind of thing enthusiasts would happily overthink for hours.
No AI, just modelling
The creators say the project was completed using traditional digital modelling workflows, rather than generative AI.
Batalka handled the original design and 3D Alias modelling, while Komkov completed the Blender visualisation.
Honda’s closest real attempt at a CRX successor was the CR-Z, a sporty three-door hybrid launched in 2010 and discontinued in 2016 without a direct replacement.
Honda has not disclosed any official plan to revive the CRX. For now, this remains a fan-made design exercise, but it neatly shows why the name still has pull. A compact, electric, driver-focused Honda would be niche, yes. It would also be far more interesting than another safe crossover.
