Honda announced the release of an all-new Stream in Japan. The new Stream will go on sale from Friday, July 14 at Honda automobile dealers throughout Japan.

The new, second-generation Stream is a 7-passenger car. It delivers total comfort and a feeling of integration wherever the driver and passengers come in contact with the vehicle — whether getting in and out, steering, throttle response, or changing the seat arrangements.

Body frame rigidity has been enhanced for improved driving performance, and the front sub-pillars have been eliminated to attain a significant increase in visibility. The floor design has also been significantly improved to create a flat foot area from corner to corner and a significantly lower floor for the third row of seats. These innovations mean improved passenger comfort as well as a lower center of gravity for superior handling. Both powerplants—the newly developed 2.0l i-VTEC engine with CVT and the 1.8l i-VTEC engine with 5-speed automatic transmission—deliver powerful, smooth driving performance from low-to-mid speeds.

The sporty RSZ, available in both 2.0-liter and 1.8-liter versions, comes equipped with 17-inch aluminum wheels and a custom-tuned suspension for extra driving enjoyment. The RSZ’s custom aerodynamic parts, black interior, and other attractive design features combine to enhance the car’s sporty driving image.

All models have earned Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport certification as Low-Emissions Vehicles, with emission levels 75% lower than those required by 2005 standards, while the front-wheel-drive models exceed Japanese government fuel economy standards for 2010 by 10%.

The new Stream is also available with the most advanced Honda safety technologies, including IHCC (Intelligent Highway Cruise Control), which controls vehicle speed and distance to the car ahead to reduce the burden on the driver, and CMBS (Collision Mitigation Brake System) + E-pretensioners, which uses millimeter wave radar technology to detect the possibility of a collision and then help avoid or reduce the force of the collision.