Honda is kicking its motorsport efforts into high gear. After the new WTCC campaign, they are now going to enter the CR-Z in the Japanese Super GT series.

Yesterday they revealed plans to take part in the 2013 (and some of the 2012 events) World Touring Car Championship with a Mugen-powered Civic prepared by J.A.S. team. The Super GT CR-Z will be fielded by Team Mugen, in association with M-TEC Co.

Details on the CR-Z GT300 are scarce, but Honda has confirmed it will be powered by a hybrid powertrain. It will join the HSV-010 GT which competes in the GT500 class.

SUPER GT <GT300 class>

Starting this year, Honda will enter the GT300 class with a CR-Z equipped with a racing hybrid system, and through a joint project with M-TEC Co., Ltd. Honda will support the racing activities of TEAM MUGEN, which plans to enter GT300 from Round 4 (Sportsland SUGO). The development driver will be Hideki Mutoh, who has competed in the IndyCar® Series and the GT500 class of SUPER GT.

Team	Number	Driver	Age	Nationality	2011 Result
TEAM MUGEN	16	Hideki Mutoh	29	Tokyo, Japan	GT500 15th
		To be determined

via: JonSibal

Following yesterday’s report of Mugen CR-Z production, today Honda officially confirms the car as the CR-Z iCF.

And apparently, it doesn’t make 197bhp, but 175. The final figure is yet to be confirmed and we really hope it gets 197. The car is another outcome of Honda (UK) and MUGEN Euro partnership following the limited edition Civic Type R MUGEN in 2010.

Mugen also reveals more details about the powertrain upgrade program: “MUGEN Euro engineers ‘breathed over’ the 1.5-litre power unit, retaining the 3-button IMA modes, adding a centrifugal forced air induction system, charge-air cooler and induction system and importantly, a MUGEN Euro-mapped ECU.”

They can also confirm the car’s 0 to 60 mph time which is 6.1 seconds – over 3 seconds quicker than the standard car – and the price which is around £24,000. A pretty exciting car then, and it will keep the green peas happy!

We were expecting a Type-R CR-Z, but looks like we are getting the Mugen CR-Z first. We’re not complaining!

Honda has confirmed production of the Mugen-tuned CR-Z, revealed before as a concept, with a base price of around £23,000.Honda is apparently moved by the Toyota GT86!

The Mugen CR-Z is what the standard CR-Z should have been from the beginning. The car is still a hybrid with the same electric motor, but the internal combustion one supercharged for a combined output of 197 bhp and 158 lb-ft of torque. I know that’s still not much, but compared to the 120bhp of the standard car it’s pretty good.

That means you can actually have some fun behind the wheel, but no matter what you do to it, it won’t do less than 40 mpg.

Most of the Mugen goodies however will be optional extras. Stuff like the carbon fiber body panels, stiffer suspension, wheels and brakes. The Mugen CR-Z also comes with a body kit to be distinguished from the normal models.

via: evo

Honda is reluctant to admit they ruined CR-Z’s amazing design by giving it only 120 hp. But they have shown their interest in a more powerful version of the car with a couple of Mugen Concepts.

But they were adamant those concepts will never be produced. Those cars in fact were designed to pave the road for a Type-R CR-Z. And it seems that it’s finally on its way.

A magazine close to Honda has revealed that the hotted-up CR-Z has been given the nudge from the top brass. As for the technicalities, the car will get the same hybrid  powertrain with the electric motor intact, but the internal combustion engine supercharged. The output will be close to 200 bhp which is still nothing to brag about, but a damn sight better than 120.

As it’s the case with Type-R Hondas, it’ll also get beefed up suspension, bigger wheels and brakes, and a body kit as well as some interior tweaks.

Now if you are thinking what is the point of a sporty eco car, it is actually brilliant because even if you drive like a complete maniac, it’ll still be like 50 percent more economical than a normal petrol powered car. So your fun lasts longer!

via: Vtec.net

Honda is adamant their CR-Z is a sports hybrid. But with 122 hp the car is anything but sporty. Now some dude with a bad foot (watch the video after the jump to understand!) decided to prove you can have fun with this Eco-friendly car by taking it round a race track and drifting away. Well, we say drift, but it’s just fooling around really. Also, the car looks suspiciously faster than a standard  CR-Z.

Honda could solve all this car’s problems and create a wonderful machine by giving it another 100 hp. Guess we have to wait for the Mugen version.

shout out to Jalopnik.com

I know we’ve already covered the CR-Z RR, but hey, who wouldn’t want to see more of this fabulous machine.

Now, this time we thought Honda would actually say they are going to put it into production. But no, they are adamant the RR is a design concept to demonstrate Mugen’s capabilities, and that they could make the CR-Z much better, if they could be bothered.

Sooner or later though, they are going to have to make it. That pathetic 120-hp powertain in the standard CR-Z is so lifeless and awful it’ll ruin reputation of the brand.

The CR-Z MUGEN RR promises Civic Type-R kind of performance. That is more like it! The car benefits from bespoke prototype parts, several of which are created in carbon fibre, including the bonnet, passenger doors and rear tailgate. Other unique feature that make the RR so special include a full length carbon-fibre underbody, a twin central-exit exhaust, vented front bumpers and race-developed suspension.  Orange 4-piston monobloc brake calipers and forged 18-inch alloy wheels both complement the vibrant Valencia Orange Pearl exterior paint work.

The interior is just as exciting as the exterior. You get MUGEN-branded colour-coded leather/Alcantara and a race car-like information screen with engine data and stuff in addition to the sat nav that can learn the track you are racing on via GPS and record your times lap times!

If they ever make this car a reality, it won’t be just as awesome, because these features we mentioned are all bloody expensive. But even if half of that gets into production, it’ll be twice as good as the current CR-Z.

As it turns out the Mugen CR-Z is no the only hotted-up version of the car in the works. It also has an RR sister which is even hotter, at least visually.

The RR was revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and ran up the hill, but there is not much details available on its technical specs. Mugen themselves only talk about the car’s visual features which include front aero bumper, front aero fender, side spoiler, rear aero bumper, rear wing, 18″ wheels. The RR looks much better than the non-RR version and is closer to the original sketches.

The interior of the RR also features the same range paint as the exterior, garnished with various carbon parts.

Even though this car must have the worst rear visibility, it looks great and we hope they finally get around making it. Honda is of course denying any plans to put either of these Mugen prepared CR-Zs into production and refer to them just as “Design Study Model”.

Honda and Mugen released some new photos and details on the Mugen CR-Z Concept, as it prepares for its debut at this year’s Goodwood FoS.

This concept car is a showcase of what Mugen could do with the CR-Z if they could be bothered, which apparently they can’t. This prototype is valued over £150,000 but you can’t buy it and they have no plans to make it, at least not for now.

The Mugen CR-Z is thoroughly upgraded to deliver the same sort of performance as a Civic Type-R. That’s a tall order for a 120-hp 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine coupled to a small electric motor. But Mugen’s treatment has raised the power to 200PS and 215Nm of torque. That’s what the standard CR-Z should have had.

To cope with the added power, Mugen has also fitted the car with sport suspension, upgraded brakes, and a body kit consisting of Mugen front and rear under spoilers, side skirts, rear wing and 17-inch lightweight forged alloy Mugen GP wheels. Carbon fibre bonnet and doors not only reduce the overall weight of the car but enhance the sporty look, while the eye-catching Brilliant Orange Metallic paint provides the finishing touch.

Although you can’t buy this car, Mugen offers some of its parts and components as aftermarket parts:

• Bumper skirts, grille, side skirts and rear wing – £2600
• Interior assist meters, gear knob and rear view mirror – £1600
• Exhaust, wheels, and suspension – £6500

Here’s the first video of the long awaited Honda CR-Z Supercharged developed by MUGEN. It shows a near production prototype of the car having some fun driving around. Final performance figures are yet to be confirmed, but as Honda has promised it’ll deliver Civic Type-R kind of performance. That’s good, because the CR-Z is a good looking car ruined by a weak and dull hybrid powertrain. The Mugen CR-Z may be able to address that issue.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) has come up with a racing version of the Honda CR-Z hybrid which they will show at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

This CR-Z Racer has a totl output of 200 hp and 237 hp, which is not that sporty to be honest. It is the sort of power that the road-going version of the car should have had. The displayed cars, including the CR-Z hybrid coupe, will also run demonstration laps around the track, driven by famous drivers before the start of the official race. In Europe, the CR-Z Racer is used as a pace car as part of Speed EuroSeries.

Technical data of the CR-Z Racer hybrid by HPD

• Production year: 2010
• Configuration: Combination IMA hybrid
• (Electric motor between the internal combustion engine and gearbox)
• Li-ion battery 7 kWh/173 volts
• Architecture: 4 cylinders in line, mounted transversely in front, FWD
• Displacement: 1,497 cm3
• Type: SOHC, 4 valves / cylinder; fuel Injection and turbocharger
• Transmission: 6 speed manual
• Power: 200 hp
• Max torque: 237 Nm
• Specific Power: 133 hp / litre

Mugen released the first pictures of their version of Honda CR-Z, and they don’t really look like the first renderings they revealed back in March.

Maybe it’s the color combination, but anyway, the looks doesn’t matter really since the CR-Z is a good-looking car. What matters about this car is the performance. Has Mugen managed to cure the Z’ lack of power and increase the performance to a decent level?

Well, they are not ready yet to answer that precisely with facts and figures, but they do promise it’ll deliver Civic Type-R kind of performance. The electric motors will remain untouched in this upgrade program but the Vtec unit will be boosted and the whole car will be lighter and more aerodynamic efficient than the standard CR-Z. This way they hope to arrive at better performance while maintaining the car’s fuel economy.

The finished product will be revealed at the next Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Honda’s in-house performance arm Mugen announced their European division is developing a ‘highly-tuned’ version of Honda CR-Z Hybrid. Think of it as the CR-Z Type-R.

That’s what Mugen Euro promises. They say the car will deliver “Type R-like” performance from the hybrid’s petrol-electric powertrain – and may offer even better fuel economy! Now that’s a big leap because as we know the car’s standard engine makes a miserable 120 hp. So what are they going to do with it?

Well, they can only reveal that they will upgrade both the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system to boost power and torque without confirming any figures yet as it’s still under development. The are optimistic that the changes, specially those made to exhaust and induction, will result in greater mpg and lower CO₂ emissions. But who cares about that. All we want from the CR-Z is big power!

The car will also be fitted with bespoke brakes and suspension to cope with the enhanced performance.

As you see in the official sketches, the car also gets a visual treatment with lightweight components, including a carbon fibre bonnet, front and rear bumpers, and a spoiler. The CR-Z is a good looking car and these changes can only make it better.

The concept car will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. What’s slightly worrying is that Honda says the CR-Z MUGEN is being developed purely as a one-off prototype, with no plans for a production version. Come on Honda, this is an obvious winner. Don’t be a coward and make it!

“We wanted to extend the performance of the CR-Z,” says Hiro Toyoda of MUGEN Euro. “It is already a fun car to drive, with an excellent chassis, but we thought that with more power and enhanced torque delivery it could be even more exciting. However, as with all MUGEN projects, we have stayed true to the Honda design and philosophy, and the electric motor is still a vital ingredient to boost performance and economy.”

The CR-Z MUGEN is a joint project between Honda (UK) and MUGEN Euro – the Northampton-based subsidiary of Honda’s long standing tuning partner MUGEN. In 2009, MUGEN Euro produced the Civic Type R MUGEN, an extreme, 240PS version of Honda popular hot hatch.

“This will be one quick hybrid,” says Martin Moll, Head of Marketing for Honda (UK). “With more torque, more power and MUGEN’s experience of working with Honda cars, we’re expecting great things. It promises to show how hybrid cars can be even more exciting to drive.”

Maybe it’s the plummeting sales, maybe it’s the introduction of Hyundai Veloster, but whatever it is Honda has reportedly fast-tracked development of the CR-Z Turbo. It took them too long though to realize that the pathetic 120-hp hybrid powertrain they’ve put in the CR-Z is nothing but a big disappointment!

The Turbo CR-Z will be powered by a 1.6 liter Turbocharged engine which, again reportedly, will be available in two versions with either 160 or 200 bhp. It will also benefit from Honda’s VTEC-i variable camshafts timing system for a good compromise between power and efficiency.

The idea of a powerful CR-Z sounds very good, and it could very well turn it from a good-car-ruined-by-bad-engine into a full-on sporty coupe it always wanted to be. We’re so looking forward to it. Of course it’s going to take Honda at least one year to finish it. Chop Chop Please!

via: Autocar

Honda announced its lineup for the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon, starting this Friday, and if like us you were waiting for a turbo or Type-R version of the CR-Z, you are going to be disappointed! There is a new CR-Z in the lineup called the TS-1X test study model, which by the looks of thing only features a hideous body kit and some matt paint.

The other interesting cars on display will include the Sports Modulo NSX accessorized with genuine Honda and the HSV-010  Super GT racing car. That NSX will actually go on sale in Japan at the end of May. The rest of the bunch are not very interesting really! There’s a couple of motorcycles and lightly tweaked versions of the Honda’s current range.

Honda vehicles on exhibit

<Display vehicle – test study model>
Automobiles (1 unit)
TS-1X (base model: CR-Z)

<Display vehicles – competition models>
Motorcycles (1 unit)
MotoGP: RC212V (Repsol Honda Team)

Automobiles (3 units)
Super GT: HSV-010 GT (Weider Honda Racing)
Formula Nippon: FN09
Indy Car Series: 2011 Indy Japan 300 mascot car

<Accessorized vehicles>
Motorcycles (5 units)
VT1300CX, CB1100, VT400S, PCX, FORZA

Automobiles (4 units)
Sports Modulo NSX (display vehicle accessorized with genuine Honda aftermarket parts that is scheduled to go on sale at the end of May), Modulo STEPWGN, Modulo CR-Z, Modulo Fit Hybrid

<Other display vehicles and products>
Motorcycles (1 unit)
Super Cub 50 (Love Cub 50 Project specifications)

Automobiles (3 units)
“Running Station ASICS ? Honda” Freed Spike caravan car
“Camping Station Coleman ? Honda” Freed Spike caravan car
Acty Truck (Tokyo Auto Salon special color)

Power products (2 units)
Enepo (Tokyo Auto Salon special color)
Pianta (Tokyo Auto Salon special color)

Honda CR-Z Sports Hybrid recently won Japan’s Car of The Year award. That apparently was such a big moment for Honda they decided to release a special edition of the car to commemorate it! Unfortunately this Memorial Award Edition does not feature any performance upgrade and you have to make do with the same 120 hp output, but it comes with some new goodies inside and out.

On the outside the car get a Pearl Deep Blue Sapphire color, which is the only color available for all 1000 units, and 16-inch dark gray wheels. Inside the cabin, this special CR-Z gets the navigation system as standard and a set of aluminum pedals to make it look sportier. But the main feature of the car is indeed the “Japan Car of the Year” sticker on driver’s side quarter window! I’d pay 2,794,000 Yen just for that!

When we first saw the Honda CR-Z we quite liked its design as a new type of city sportscar which could offer good practicality with a great amount of fun in one cool package. But when we learned about its frankly pathetic 120-hp hybrid drivetrain we were totally disappointed. Now though, apparently, Honda too realized this car needs more power.

According to a report by Autocar Honda is going to launch a new version of the CR-Z in which they’ve got rid of the batteries and electric motor and installed a 1.6 liter turbo petrol engine. So it’s like a CR-Z Type-R. The thing is, this unit will develop around 160-hp for economy reasons. Now that’s better than 120, but still not enough to make a real sportscar out of the CR-Z.

No worries though, becasue unlike the Hybrid, this one will be easy to modify and we can already see 300-hp versions of it!

As promised, Honda attacked 2010 SEMA show with a convoy of CR-Z hybrids each customized in a very unique way. But amongst all of them, the one prepared by Mugen is more important, becasue it looks more decent than others, and also becasue you can actually buy it. The Mugen CR-z features stuff like bodykit, fancy rims, special colors, and upgraded interior.

To be more precise about it, the Mugen CR-Z comes with a full MUGEN body kit; a front grille; a rear wing spoiler; 17-inch “XJ” aluminum wheels; sport mats; a unique black aluminum shift knob and a billet aluminum oil-filler cap. Further, after purchase, each owner will receive a unique serial-number plaque designating each kit as one of 300 available. All of the painted parts will come color-matched to each of the five available CR-Z colors. Pricing details will be made available closer to the on-sale date.

Other custom CR-Z include the one by HPD, which features a turbocharger and upgraded IMA™ hybrid system, resulting in an estimated combined 200 horsepower and 175 lb-ft. of torque; performance clutch; limited-slip differential; ‘circuit-tuned’ suspension; upgraded brakes and aerodynamic components.

Honda Genuine Accessories also revealed two vehicles, a CR-Z equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels; side, front lip and tailgate spoilers; a rear diffuser; an illuminated door-sill trim and an interior armrest. Additionally, a 2010 Accord Coupe equipped with dealer-installed Honda Factory Performance™ (HFP™) components melded a distinctive, custom appearance with an enhanced level of handling performance.

Other aftermarket Honda CR-Z models include Bisimoto Engineering 2011 CR-Z, DSO Eyewear 2011 CR-Z Sport Hybrid Tuner, Eibach Springs 2011 CR-Z, Fortune Motorsports Samurai Gold 2011 Honda CR-Z, Konig Wheels 2011 CR-Z, Wraptivo 2011 CR-Z Type-F Concept. Scroll down for pictures…

The Honda CR-Z Sports Hybrid gets a new tuning program by Wraptivo, who’s preparing the for the 2010 SEMA show. They call it the Honda CR-Z Type-F, in which the F apparently stands for Fun! Based on this rendering of the car done by Jon Sibal, you have to say at least in terms of the styling they’ve done a good job. Specially with Wraptivo Matte Black and Carbon Black Film, it looks really good.

There’s more good news! They’ve realized that the CR-Z suffers form the lack of power and decided to provide it with supercharger system, suspension package, an ECU Tune, exhaust system, and other components from Honda Accessories, Tein , HKS, BF Goodrich, Volk Racing, Hondata, and… . The interior too will be garnished with Recaro seats, a sport shift knob, and alcantara panels.

More on this car in time for SEMA show.

So EuroNCAP tested the new Honda CR-Z Hybrid sports coupe and gave it five-star safety rating. They have considered occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids while testing the CR-Z, and it managed to pass all of them. To be honest though that’s an irrelevant thing because CR-Z has a  tiny engine with only 120-hp power output, which means you can never go fast enough to actually have a crash!

Safety in the Honda CR-Z

Vehicle Stability Assist
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) is designed to assist the driver in maintaining control during cornering, acceleration and sudden manoeuvres by applying braking assistance to any of the wheels as necessary and modulating the engine torque output as required.

Braking
14-inch ventilated front and solid rear disc brakes ensure road stability, which is further enhanced by the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE)
Developed in the car-to-car crash testing facility at Tochigi, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure is now a well-established strength of Honda’s safety credentials.

The ACE™ body structure is a Honda exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. The ACE design utilises a network of connected structural elements to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle. This enhanced frontal crash energy management helps to reduce the forces transferred to the passenger compartment and can help to more evenly disperse the forces transferred to other vehicles in a crash.

Pedestrian Protection
The CR-Z also incorporates many features designed with pedestrian-protection in mind. Research has shown that these features can dramatically improve a pedestrian’s chance of survival if struck by a moving vehicle. Features include windscreen wiper pivots designed to break away on impact, energy absorbing front wing mounts and bonnet hinges, as well as an unobstructed area beneath the bonnet allowing greater space for deformation.

Airbags and Seatbelts
On all models in the range, the driver and passenger Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) front and side airbags are complemented by full length curtain airbags to protect all occupants. There are three-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) seatbelts in all seating positions, the front seatbelts also have two stage Energy Absorption (EA) load limiting pre-tensioners. Additionally in the rear ISOFIX points ensure secure and correct installation mounting of child seats.

Active headrests
The CR-Z is equipped with front seat active headrests which reduce the likelihood of neck injury in rear impacts. As the occupant is pushed against the seat back, a rigid plate in the seat presses a link to the headrest pushing it up and forward to support the head.

Honda’s in-house tuner Mugen announced a new range of upgrade parts for the new CR-Z for the UK market, including aerodynamic body kits, engine tuning components, suspension, braking and interior upgrades. This package is called the ‘Hybrid Advanced Sports’ and at least in terms styling really improves the car. We hope they also upgrade the engine just as well!

MUGEN

Based at Asaka, Saitama, Japan, Mugen was established in 1973 with the goal of racing Honda engined vehicles. It has enjoyed numerous successes in Japanese Super GT and single seaters and was an F1 engine supplier between 1992 and 2000. Starting 1984, Mugen activities diversified into aftermarket tuning and parts supply specifically for Honda road cars. The company’s close commercial relationship with Honda was demonstrated in the Mugen RR – a fully modified Civic Type R FD2 which was made available for sale through Honda dealerships. Limited to a production run of 300 units, the cars sold out in under 10 minutes. In addition, at the Tokyo Auto Salon Mugen proudly exhibited concept cars based on the NSX, Civic and new Accord models and looks forward to its next chapter of success with the FN2 based Honda Civic Type-R Mugen.