Honda CR-Z Mugen: All you Need to Know about Honda’s Hottest Hybrid Yet

We’ve already shared initial information and a video on the Mugen-fettled CR-Z that Honda is about to launch at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but today, the Japanese carmaker came out with all the juicy details, as well as more photos of the sporty hybrid concept.

According to company’s European division, the CR-Z Mugen sets out to prove that hybrid cars can be exciting to drive, with the one-off special producing “Civic Type R-like performance” while also remaining true to the original, eco-friendly character of the run-of-the-mill CR-Z.

Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro explains the philosophy behind the creation of the CR-Z Mugen:

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Mugen’s Supercharged Honda CR-Z Hybrid Prototype Debuts on Film

With development of the new Honda CR-Z Mugen concept nearing its end, the Japanese automaker decided it’s time to release the first video of the supercharged hybrid model on the road before its world premiere at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

The prototype CR-Z is the collaborative work of Honda UK and its in-house tuning shop Mugen Euro. The hotted-up hybrid sports car feature modifications to the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine with the addition of a supercharger as well as to the Honda IMA system.

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Honda CR-Z Hybrid Racer Ready for Demonstration Runs at Le Mans

The latest news from Honda’s motorsport front is that the Japanese company will campaign a CR-Z hybrid racecar at the second annual Le Mans Vers Le Futur (literally translates to ‘Le Mans to the Future’), which is a support event for the 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nissan will also participate in the exhibition, which is devoted to showcasing the Le Mans racing cars of the future, with the pure-electric Leaf Nismo RC concept. Read more »

First Photos of Honda’s Hot CR-Z Mugen, Early Tests Show better Performance than Civic Type R

Honda's sporty-looking CR-Z hybrid will finally get the performance to back its looks, as the Japanese carmaker teamed up with its tuning partner Mugen Euro to develop a high-performance version of the hybrid model. As we wrote earlier this year, the car will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but until then, you can take a look at the first official photos of the car to see if they match the sketches released by Honda two months ago.

The Japanese company says development of the CR-Z Mugen is on track, with “performance figures already looking promising”. Honda revealed that early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint times around that of the European market Civic Type R (6.6 seconds). Later on, Mugen increased output by another 15 percent and reduced the chassis' weight by 50 kilograms, so that overall performance is expected to be even better than the Type R's.

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Mugen Euro Building High-Performance Version of Honda CR-Z Hybrid

One of the biggest problems most see with Honda’s CR-Z hybrid sport hatch is the lack of a performance version. That may change soon enough as Mugen’s European division is readying a “highly-tuned” version of the CR-Z that it claims will deliver “Type R-like” performance. The faster and more powerful CR-Z Mugen prototype is being developed as a joint project between Honda UK and Mugen Euro, and it will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July.

“This will be one quick hybrid,” said 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.”

Honda said that the CR-Z MUGEN prototype will feature modifications to both the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system to boost power and torque, adding that these changes may also result in greater mpg and lower CO2 emissions during some conditions. Final power, torque and fuel economy figures are not yet known.

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Noblesse Wings Up Honda CR-Z Hybrid Sport Hatch

Japanese tuner Noblesse has been steadily releasing numerous aftermarket bits and pieces for the new CR-Z ever since Honda launched its hybrid sport hatch . Among other parts, the company has developed a ground aero-kit with front and rear bumper aprons, side skirts, a rear diffuser and a large roof wing. These can be complemented by a lightweight carbon fiber hood, underbody aero parts, larger alloy wheels and a sport exhaust system. You can check out photos of Noblesse's Honda CR-Z offerings along with a video of a test car doing a circuit round right after the jump.

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New Honda CR-Z JCOTY Memorial Award Edition Shows off with Special Paint...and that's About it

To commemorate its "Japanese Car of the Year" award, Honda will release a limited edition of its CR-Z sport-hybrid hatch in Japan. Billed as a "Memorial Award Edition", the car will be coated in a hue called Pearl Deep Sapphire Blue and will roll on unique Dark Pewter Gray 16-inch rims.

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That's More Like It: Tuner Powers up Honda CR-Z with K20 i-VTEC Engine Swap

If there's one major complaint to be had with the Honda CR-Z, it's the lack of power. Florida-based tuning firm LHT Performance decided to address this problem by replacing the CR-Z's standard hybrid powerplant with a far more potent 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit from Honda's own K20 series. This is not the first time that LHT Performance has made the switch on a Honda hybrid as the tuner previously pulled a similar stunt with the Insight. Unfortunately the company has not released any specific details on the K20 engine swap, but it did not that "everything works 100%". Watch a static video of the car after the break.

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Honda CR-Z Roadster Die-cast Begs the Question; Should it Become a Reality?

From what we know, Honda has no official plans to build a roadster version of its CR-Z hybrid coupe. But that hasn't stopped others from trying - even if in this case, we're talking about a scaled down die-cast model. Too bad we couldn't find any additional pictures of the toy-sized model, and especially of the rear end. If you happen to have any information and/or pictures, you know the drill... Follow the break and share your thoughts on whether or not Honda should create a two-seater drop top version of its CR-Z.

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SEMA 2010: Honda CR-Z Hybrid Tuning Galore [45 Photos]

As promised, here are the rest of the tuned CR-Z hybrids featured in the Honda booth at the 2010 SEMA Show [click for the Mugen version and for Honda's concept studies]. If you follow the break, you can find the CR-Z in a variety of tunes ranging from Honda's own subtly accessorized HFP (Honda Factory Performance) model to Wraptivo's HKS supercharged prototype. Scroll down and tell us which one grabbed your attention the most.

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SEMA 2010: HPD CR-Z Hybrid R and Racer Concepts with 200HP Turbo Conversion

Next up on our Sema Show CR-Z menu after the production-ready Mugen version are two concept models created by Honda's North American racing company, Honda Performance Development or HPD for short. The CR-Z Hybrid R and CR-Z Racer studies were developed to demonstrate the potential of both street and racing performance.

The two cars share the same performance enhancements including a turbocharger and upgraded IMA hybrid system, which result in an estimated combined output of 200 horsepower and 175 lb-ft. of torque. Both models also get a performance clutch, limited-slip differential, 'circuit-tuned' suspension, upgraded brakes and aerodynamic components.

From there on, the Hybrid R model was developed for street use benefiting from certain sport touches to the interior such as the red steering wheel rim and Recaro bucket seats.

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2011 Honda CR-Z Mugen Unveiled at SEMA, Production Limited to 300 Units

We'll soon bring you the full low-down on the customized and conceptual Honda CR-Z models from the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, but to whet your appetite, here's a brand new Mugen-accessorized version that will enter production in the spring of 2011. Only 300 of these kits will go on sale in the U.S. with pricing details to be made available closer to the on-sale date.

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Sneak Preview: Fortune Motorsports' SEMA-Bound Honda CR-Z

It's time for the tuning aficionados over at Fortune Motorsports to give us our first look at their customized Honda CR-Z that will be officially revealed at next week's SEMA Show. Even though this here picture is a computer generated rendering, the tuner claims its "almost 100% accurate" to what we'll see displayed on the floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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Honda Shows New Accessories for European CR-Z 2+2 in Paris

The new Jazz (called Fit in the U.S. and other markets) Hybrid -see here- may have been the star attraction Honda's Paris Motor Show booth, but the Japanese automaker also premiered a new lineup of accessories for its European-spec CR-Z 2+2 hybrid. The range is split into four packages / themes with parts for the exterior and interior of the CR-Z.

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AMS Terra Brings the Space Invader Theme to Honda's CR-Z Hybrid Coupe

This is AMS's take on the new Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe/hatch, and it's called the Terra. The CR-Z, which already looks nice as a cute little sporty hybrid, has been dropped on 19-inch RAYS Versus Torismo Rechente one-off rollers that have been finished in piano black and pearl white.

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POLL: Would you Rather have a Honda CR-Z or a New Scion tC in Your Garage?

Pretty soon buyers here in the States will have a few new choices when considering an affordable and efficient entry-level coupe or hatch. No, no, we aren't getting VW's Scirocco or Peugeot's RCZ anytime soon (but the Hyundai Veloster is on its way). We're talking about Honda's CR-Z hybrid that goes on sale here in the States on August 24 and Toyota's all-new 2011 Scion tC that arrives in showrooms in early October.

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HKS is Such a Tease; Honda CR-Z with a Supercharger Testing on the Dyno

The big news here is that, along with the usual suspension, brake and aero upgrades, famed Japanese tuner HKS, is also readying a supercharger kit for the CR-Z hybrid sport hatch. And while the company didn't publish any performance numbers, it did release a video of a supercharged CR-Z testing on the dyno, but with a twist. If you scroll down on the Youtube description, there is a footnote concerning the F1-like sound of the prepped-up CR-Z that reads:

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Fortune Motorsports Teases SEMA Show 2011 Honda CR-Z

We don't need to tell you the new Honda CR-Z hybrid sports hatch will be one of the cars to watch out for at this year's edition of the SEMA show in Las Vegas this November. One of the first tuning firms to announce a fully customized CR-Z for the show is California-based Fortune Motorsports, which has teamed up with the crew from "Tjin Edition Roadshow".

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