2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Twelve modified 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupes are featured prominently in the Honda booth at the 2010 SEMA Show, LAS VEGAS, which opens today. The 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept is the sporty evolution of the Honda CR-Z, prepared by the Japanese Mugen Motorsports, officially associated with Honda. Honda has teamed up with Mugen again for a new hotrod special - but this one's a hybrid. The new 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept is a slightly more ecologically sound proposition than the banzai 2009 Civic Type R Mugen, and brings the race car treatment to Honda's hybrid coupe.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

As the first available sport hybrid, the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept demonstrates new opportunities for vehicle personalization among the import tuner community. Several significant vehicles are being unveiled at the show, including a 2011 CR-Z equipped with MUGEN* accessories, the Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD) CR-Z Hybrid R Concept, the HPD CR-Z Racer and several vehicles equipped with Honda Genuine Accessories.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Also unveiled today were two concept vehicles from HPD: the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept and the HPD CR-Z Racer. Though neither vehicle is intended for sale, HPD, Honda’s North American racing company, was determined to demonstrate the potential of the CR-Z for both street and racing performance. Both vehicles share many performance enhancements, with the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept highlighting Honda-designed street styling and the HPD CR-Z Racer opting for serious racing capability. To demonstrate that capability, HPD will campaign two HPD CR-Z Racers at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race in December. HPD enhancements to both cars include: 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.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Two vehicles were on display to demonstrate currently available Honda Genuine Accessories. For the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept, Honda displayed a vehicle 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. All Honda Genuine Accessories offer the same 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty as the rest of the vehicle, when installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and are engineered to be fully compatible with each Honda vehicle.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Mugen Euro has developed a highly-tuned version of the Honda CR-Z that aims to deliver up to 200PS and 215Nm of torque by boosting the hybrid's petrol-electric powertrain. The goal of the project was to prove hybrid cars can be exciting to drive, by producing "Civic Type R-like" performance from the hybrid coupe while remaining sympathetic to the original Honda direction for the CR-Z. Torque Mugen Honda crz provide 50 percent greater power and use electric as the fuel. Obviously this is a good concept for a Honda hybrid sport cars. 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept uses a 5-speed adjustable front and mounted on the back, which would increase the width base and weight of the settlement.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro explains the philosophy behind the creation of the CR-Z Mugen: “We wanted a car that has genuine performance available at the touch of a button, but can perform just like a standard CR-Z and offer good fuel economy when the driver wishes. For that reason, we’ve kept the three driving modes, so the driver can select “eco” or “normal” to switch to economy and low emissions for daily driving, but press the Mugen button for the full-blown weekend-warrior settings”.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

In addition, Mugen’s engineers also widened the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept’s front and rear tracks and fitted stiffer 5-step adjustable dampers and a limited slip differential to maximize traction. The Honda CR-Z Mugen stops courtesy of larger brake discs and 4-pot calipers. 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept comes with sporty interior, there are Recaro sports seats, a different gear knob and a carbon rear view mirror cover, but your attention will be instantly drawn by the addition of three gauges that display water and oil temperature and pressure.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

Among factors that features the sportiveness stands out the lowered bumper, a large roof spoiler and the carbon-fiber bonnet which, according to Honda, is an important technical detail. The weight of the 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept then was reduced by more than 50 kg, through the use of lightweight materials as, again, the carbon-fiber, and first tests seem very positive.

2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept

The 2011 Honda Sport Cars Hybrid CR-Z Mugen Concept is purely a concept car at this stage, designed to demonstrate the potential and versatility of the Honda IMA system, with no confirmed plans for further production. Mugen and Honda (UK) will consider media and customer feedback before deciding on any next steps.