With the launch of the CR-Z, Honda wanted to emphasize that hybrids can in fact be sporty, now the automaker is continuing to promote the idea in its home market with the Honda Sports & Eco Program.

Essentially an amateur racing series it lets drivers compete using spec CR-Zs (outfitted with Mugen wheels and an aero kit) on track. Each car also features a complete roll cage and Recaro driver’s seat with racing harnesses.

Running at Honda company tracks like Suzuki and Twin Ring Motegi, drivers get to feel just how much fun driving green can be. Exactly how fuel efficient a CR-Z at wide-open-throttle is, well…

GALLERY: Mugen CR-Z

Click here for AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage

Known for modifying wagons like the Honda Odyssey and Nisaan Stegea, Japanese tuner Takero’s recently expanded its product offering to include the Honda Fit – with impressive results. First came aerodynamic components, followed by suspension parts, now Takero’s has revealed a wide body kit for the Fit at the Tokyo Auto Salon, plus a turbocharger setup.

Head-on the Takero’s Fit still looks impressive, but the widebody sub-compact looks a little absurd from any other angle. The obvious advantage, however, is the ability to fit wider tires for more grip, with some massive 225/35/18 rubber on this machine. And that extra tire is no doubt necessary to help put down the extra power generated by the new turbocharger setup. Unfortunately, Takero’s hasn’t released any specs on the kit, but we’d expect something close to the 180 hp mark.

GALLERY: Takeros Honda Fit Turbo

It looks like Mugen isn’t stopping with its CR-Z Concept. Along with that 200-hp supercharged hybrid the famed Honda tuner is rolling out a motorsports-inspired CR-Z at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Honda CR-Z Mugen RR Concept represents Mugen’s racing spirit and is intended to give a look at the brand’s future design language. The aggressive CR-Z RR features a whole new front end, fully equipped with a new bumper, wider front fenders, new side skirts, aggressive rear bumper, rear spoiler and 18-inch wheels. Gone is the mundane styling that many expect from a hybrid and the CR-Z RR really shows off what Mugen is all about. We’re also loving the shade Mugen paired up with the RR concept. On the inside, the orange theme continues, accented with various carbon fiber components.

From the official press release it sounds like Mugen will move ahead with this kit. Paired with performance upgrades it’s already developed, this could make quite an impressive hybrid tuner package.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda CR-Z RR Concept

[Source: JonSibal]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Honda CR-Z Review

It’s been quite a while since Mugen and Honda had this much buzz surrounding a car. And while some are still rolling their eyes at the thought of a modified hybrid, Mugen is definitely poised to prove that you can have your cake and eat it too, finally announcing full specs of its supercharged CR-Z.

At the core of it all, Mugen has taken the CR-Z’s standard 1.5L and rebuilt it with upgraded internal components. The iCF system, which stands for Integrated Centrifugal Forced-induction (aka, supercharged), works flawlessly on the electric motor-engine combination. The result is an impressive increase in horsepower and torque, with 197-hp and 158 lb-ft, up from the factory’s 122-hp and 128 ft-lbs.

Even more impressive is Mugen’s comparison of the CR-Z to the infamous Honda Civic Type-R, stating that its 0-62 mph time is very close at 6.6 seconds. Mugen is looking to shave off even more weight from the CR-Z, hoping to make it quicker than the Civic Type-R was.

For those wondering what the impact is on fuel consumption, it’s fairly impressive to hear that the CR-Z in “eco” mode still retains 42-mpg while in “Mugen” mode it consumes 29.4-mpg. Overall, still not too shabby given the performance numbers it’s boasting.

And of course the Mugen CR-Z wouldn’t be a complete package if it solely focused on what’s underneath the hood. Mugen also outfits the CR-Z with a complete aero package, 17-inch Mugen GP wheels, carbon fiber hood and doors. For suspension, five-way adjustable dampers were added while braking was enhanced through larger rotors and 4-piston calipers. The Mugen CR-Z is also equipped with a different limited slip differential to help get all the extra power to the ground.

On the inside, Mugen tosses in a set of Recaro sport seats alongside a new shift knob, carbon fiber rear view mirror cover and a trio of Mugen gauges displaying water, oil temperature and pressure. This may be one of the finest offerings Mugen has yet to offer in the recent years, and we’re excited to see it up close and personal.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda CR-Z

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Honda CR-Z review

The CR-Z that Honda fanboys have been begging for is on its way thanks to Mugen. The European division of the tuner has just released new details on its high-performance version of the sporty hybrid coupe, with the big news being a supercharger under the hood to deliver 200-hp.

Mugen Euro hasn’t released exact specs but says the supercharger mated to the 1.5-liter engine (which retains the hybrid electric system) will make “around 200PS” with 181 lb-ft of torque. That’s roughly an increase of 50 percent over the standard CR-Z.

“The idea was to use the significant advantage of the early torque provided by the Honda IMA electric motor, then increase the torque available from the petrol engine gradually, to first maintain and then increase this,” says Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro. “A supercharger and complementary electronics allow us to very neatly map the IMA to the extra power and torque of the engine in a unique package, giving a smooth and integrated powerful driving experience.”

In addition to the added power, the Mugen CR-Z will also sport 5-way adjustable dampers, a wider track and lower weight. New 17-inch forged wheels will cut unsprung mass while bigger brakes are also a part of the package. Plus, there’s going to be a typically wild Mugen aero kit.

Alas…. there’s a gray cloud to this silver lining. Yes, the Mugen CR-Z, set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, is just a one off. Will they offer production versions or sell the supercharger kit solo? They damn well better!

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Honda CR-Z review

Honda is well aware that it has a strong following of enthusiasts who love to modify their cars and with the launch of the 9th generation Civic expected later this year, the Japanese automaker is catering to its fan base, displaying a few tuner cars at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

Flanking the new Civic Si Concept and Civic Sedan Concept are what Honda is calling the REMIX CR-Z and REMIX Accord Coupe, built in association with Performance Auto & Sound Magazine (PASMAG).

As expected with PASMAG, both cars have big audio systems, but otherwise the builds are surprisingly clean, both using matte white and matte black paint, with tame aero kits, suspension drops and some nice Enkei wheels. For all the details, hit the jump for the press release, and check out the galleries below.

GALLERY: Honda REMIX Accord Coupe

GALLERY: Honda REMIX CR-Z

Official release after the jump:

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Modifying hybrids has turned into a solid market out in Japan, and one of the oldest aero kit designers has joined in on the fun. In the late 1990s, C-West had immersed itself into the American market with its popular Honda and Acura body kits but recently the buzz for C-West’s infamous styling had subsided. We did report last year in April that C-West would be developing a kit for the CR-Z and now we’re finally able to enjoy the finished (and real) product.

C-West is offering two different front ends for the hybrid CR-Z; one which is a front half spoiler (add-on lip) and the other being a full bumper replacement that sports traditional C-West styling. Fitting with either front end is a pair of side skirts and a rear half spoiler that makes the CR-Z quite a bit more aggressive.

In addition to the four piece body kit, C-West also offers a rear spoiler and a hood for the CR-Z.

Overall the CR-Z market is shaping up to be very attractive – perhaps it’ll do a better job than the Fit did in bringing Honda back to becoming popular among the sport compact enthusiasts.

GALLERY: C-West Honda CR-Z

[Source: Farm of Minds]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Honda CR-Z Review Here

The old age debate of imports vs. domestics, four-cylinders vs. V8s, high-revving horsepower vs. low-end torque… the argument continues to rage on despite a whole new era of simple hybrids. And while we won’t see many GM enthusiasts swapping in a Honda S2000 powerplant into their domestic machine, there have been plenty of import enthusiasts taking big V8 muscle and shoving it into their engine bays.

Over the years we’ve seen plenty of engine-swapped hybrids from the Honda camp, from GS-R B18′s into Civics to Prelude H22′s into CRXs. Of course with the only popular RWD application from Honda being the S2000, it would only be a matter of time before enthusiasts began swapping in American V8s under the hood of the high-strung two-seater.

So here’s one of the cleanest builds we’ve ever laid our eyes on. Jason, the owner of this Honda S2000 on S2ki, did one hell of a project from the bottom up. Under the hood is a V8 LS1 powerplant while the rest of the car gets subtle upgrades to kept it extremely clean and functional. While some enthusiasts would probably go overboard with the aesthetics, this S2000 is conservative, giving no indication at what’s underneath the hood.

The initial dyno run turned out 317-hp and 333 ft-lbs of torque, a serious increase in power and more than double the factory block’s torque. Plus, it sounds like a beast.

GALLERY: LS1 Powered Honda S2000

[Source: S2ki]

Check out two videos of the S2000 after the jump.

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Technically the SEMA Show doesn’t start until tomorrow but thanks to our spies inside we have these snap shots of just what potential Honda‘s new CR-Z has. The Honda Performance Development CR-Z Racer looks like a true racing machine and likely is with a fully stripped-down body, a lowered suspension, functional aero and some big 17-inch wheels with meaty racing slicks.

But the truly exciting mods are found under the hood, where Honda strapped a Borg Warner turbo to the 1.5-liter 4-cylinder to pump out 175-hp and 155 ft-lbs of torque. But that’s not all, Honda also rejigged the Integrated Motor Assist hybrid setup to produce added power that’s available with a Indy Car styled push-to-pass button. When pressed, the CR-Z makes a total of 200-hp and 175 ft-lbs of torque.

Other mods include an LSD and some big brake upgrades.

Hopefully Honda is serious about taking this car racing and we’ll be at the press conference tomorrow to find out.

GALLERY: Honda Performance Development CR-Z Racer

Hit the jump to view Honda’s SEMA Press conference:

Continue Reading…

Customized hybrids look to be gaining popularity, as is evidenced by this AMS Honda CR-Z. Overall it’s pretty clean but just a tad too aggressive for our tastes. The center exit dual exhaust with a wickedly designed carbon fiber diffuser features more sharp lines and angles than we care to count. The rear spoiler on the trunk is pretty clean though and rounds off the CR-Z’s natural shape pretty well.

The front three-quarter view of the car really shows off AMS’ goal of making this CR-Z aggressive. The kit is headed in the right direction but still looks a bit too busy. We could also do with a different set of wheels – those babies look way too big on that CR-Z’s body.

While this may be the most aggressively tuned CR-Z to date, it’s certain to be outdone soon with Honda having shipped several of its new hybrid coupes do tuners throughout the U.S. to build show cars for the upcoming SEMA Show. We’ve already provided teasers on a few of them and will be sure to report back with full coverage of the 2010 SEMA Show starting in early November.

GALLERY: AMS Honda CR-Z Terra

[Source: Farm of Minds]