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Wraptivo Honda CR-Z "Type-F" concept to debut at SEMA 
The Paris Motor Show isn’t even in the books yet and already car enthusiasts everywhere are preparing their ventures for future shows. Wraptivo is currently working on a design package that will feature a matte black and carbon black film that will wrap around the Honda CR-Z Type-F Concept getting prepared for the SEMA show in November. In addition to the design package provided by Wraptivo, the concept will get a full aero kit consisting of Honda accessories aero pieces along with other aero components from Japan. The vehicle will also be receiving wheels, race seats, big brakes, and other additions. Going a step further on the tuning front, the Type-F concept will be getting a power increase thanks to a supercharger system, suspension package, an ECU Tune, exhaust system, and other speedy components. The interior will get Recaro seats, a sport shift knob, and alcantara panels. Of course, one of the main reasons behind this concept is allowing the CR-Z to showcase the effectiveness of the Wraptivo product. The Honda CR-Z Type-F Concept will allow customers to see how this new technology could serve as protection for their factory paint, as well as change the appearance of their car. The particular wrap that will be used on the Type-F will provide customers with a good idea of the durability of the wrap as it will hit the track a week after the SEMA show during the Source Interlink “Super Lap Battle”. We’ll hold our opinions on the matter until after we see it in action! Press release after the jump. Full story Fortune Motorsports releases teaser of SEMA-bound 2011 Honda CR-Z
Check out the sexy lady lifting up her skirt to show some leg! The 2011 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas isn’t until November, but we’re already getting news on what cars are expected to make an appearance. One of the first to book its ticket at the annual tuning show will be Fortune Motorsports who will bring a tuned-up Honda CR-Z Hybrid that they produced in collaboration with the people from the Tjin Edition Roadshow. In addition to that, Fortune Motorsports will also team up with a number of esteemed auto companies to work on the CR-Z Hybrid in time for its showing at SEMA in November. Among the brands that will take part in the building of the tuned-up hybrid hatchback include ADV.1 Wheels, Falken Tires, Air Lift, Status Racing, JD Motorsports, STACK, Trent’s Trick Upholstery, MagnaFlow, Webasto, Ignited HID’s, Shinzo Media, Light WurkZ, StreetGlow, Wraptivo, and Royal Purple. What’s more, we’re even going to receive full documentation of the entire proceedings, which will be documented by Fortune Motorsports. So keep tuning in – no pun intended – on any further updates on this SEMA-bound Honda CR-Z Hybrid. If for nothing else, it should be interesting to see how Fortune Motorsports and all its partners will re-build the car from the ground up. 2010 Honda CR-Z Hybrid Advanced Sports by Mugen
Mugen unveiled today a new tuning package for the 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid. Called the ’Hybrid Advanced Sports’, the new tuning package includes aerodynamic body kits, engine tuning components, suspension, braking, and interior upgrades. The aerodynamic parts include a new rear spoiler, diffuser, and new alloy wheel options. As for the engine, Mugen did not release any new numbers, but we expect to see an impressive boost. We do know that the package includes a new suspension and a new brake system. As a reminder, Mugen unveiled the first tuning package for the CR-Z back in February. It included front and rear aprons, a large roof-mounted wing, side skirts, rear diffuser, a new grille with LED daytime running lights, and a variety of 17-inch alloy wheel designs. The interior got new carbon fiber mirror, unique gear lever knobs, and floor mats. More details will be unveiled for the ’Hybrid Advanced Sports’ at a later date. Video: Auto Express compares the Honda CR-Z hybrid with the Peugeot RCZComparing cars have always been a calling card for the auto industry. If you’re in the market to purchase a car, it’s always a good idea to do your homework on the cars on your wishlist just so you have a better understanding of what you’re getting yourself into and the merits and demerits of each option you may have. Over in Europe, the eco-friendly sports car market is getting a nice boost, courtesy of two models that figure to go head-to-head with each other in the coming years: the Honda CR-Z Hybrid and the Peugeot RCZ sports coupe. As both a hybrid and a frugal 2.0-liter diesel - both the CR-Z and the RCZ - are two vehicles that promote the same thing (fuel-efficiency) yet does so in completely different approaches. The ever-informative kids of AutoExpress took both cars through the ringer to see which one holds the leg up over the other. After a series of tests, the verdict remains unsettled because both cars hold a distinct advantage over the other in different respects. Watch the video and find out how the CR-Z and the RCZ match up. No SI or electric versions for the Honda CR-Z
Honda has announced that the new CR-Z hybrid sports car will go on sale in August at a price starting below $20K. They have also announced that the CR-Z will not get an SI or electric version. Want to hear some more bad news? Well, sorry, you have to hear it anyway. There will be no federal tax credit on the sporty hybrid coupe: "No. The limit per car company is 60,000 hybrids, and we passed that long ago." The CR-Z will be offered in three trim levels: CR-Z, CR-Z EX, and CR-Z EX Navi. When asked about a SI version, John Mendel, Honda’s U.S. executive vice president of sales said: "Nothing official." He said the same thing about an electric version: "I don’t think that there’s [sic] plans to make this vehicle a pure electric. I wouldn’t say that we believe that the pure EV or BEV [battery-electric vehicle] will flop in the U.S. It depends upon the application. If you talk about longer charging times and limited range, it speaks to a different usage than a 150-miles-per-day commuter would require." The Honda hybrid sports coupe is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor that deliver a combined output of 122 HP and 128 lbs-ft. The engine is linked to either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. 2011 Honda CR-ZThe automotive term EV comes with an unnecessary stigma of being slow and boring. However automakers like Fisker and Tesla are creating fun to drive sports cars with green power trains and zero emissions, but the ability to have your cake and eat it too comes at a price. However the world’s largest engine builder tried to make things different when they introduced the CR-Z sports coupe concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon.  Honda has finally unveiled the long awaited production version of the CR-Z hybrid coupe at the 2010 North American International Auto Show with sales slated to begin as early as summer and will be followed up with a European version later on in the year. The CR-Z is powered by an IMA hybrid system made up of a 1.5 Liter gas burning engine combined with an electric motor that provides an additional 14 HP for a grand total of 124 HP and 131 lb-ft of torque. The concept’s design remains mostly unchanged for the production version with its low slung roof line, sporty rear spoiler, aggressive profile and LED lights that are being used for the first time in one of Honda’s production vehicles. UPDATE 06/16/2010: Jason Barlow, once co-host of the popular BBC show Top Gear, appears as the celebrity star of Honda’s new promo video for the 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid Coupe. Check out the video after the jump. Updated 06/22/2010: Honda announced today prices for the 2011 CR-Z sports car. Sales will begin on August 24 at a price of $19,200, plus a destination and handling charge of $750. The CR-Z is available in two equipment grades – the well-equipped CR-Z (base) and the feature-rich CR-Z EX. Standard features on the CR-Z include an AM/FM/CD/USB audio system with six speakers, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, remote entry, cruise control, and more. Full prices list after the jump. Press release after the jump. Full story Video: Honda releases promo film for the CR-Z hybrid featuring Jason BarlowDie hard Top Gear fans will have no problem remembering the name Jason Barlow. If you’re not one of the aforementioned people, then we’re going to enlighten you on who he is. Barlow was once a co-host of the popular BBC show, appearing in 53 episodes from 2000 to 2001. While he’s about 10 years removed from his time on the show, Barlow is still in the auto industry, currently serving as editor-at-large for Top Gear magazine, as well as being a contributing editor for GQ UK and a columnist for The Sunday Times. Surely, this dude’s got some serious credentials. Now, he’s parlayed those credentials into appearing as the host of Honda’s new promo film for the CR-Z hybrid coupe. We gotta say, this is a different treatment from what we’re used to, so we’re going to keep a close eye on this, especially given that this first episode looks very promising. Honda CR-Z’s ’Live Every Litre’ takes to the streets of Paris for an unforgettable burlesque showIf you thought Tom Green’s once-in-a-lifetime meeting with Metallica was awesome, then you better strap on and get yourself ready for the second installment of Honda’s "Live Every Litre" project because it’s going to redefine the phrase ’wet & wild’. In this episode of Honda’s documentary-style road movie to promote the new CR-Z hybrid sports coupe, the cameras take us to Paris, France - in the streets of Monmarte, to be exact - to meet Kate Rawlinson, or as she is otherwise known, ’Agent Lynch’. In determining which nominee deserved to have their dreams realized, Honda couldn’t have picked a better choice than Rawlinson, who wanted to perform the world’s first guerilla burlesque routine - and do it in public. Is there really an appropriate way to describe Agent Lynch’s public burlesque show than just letting you people go and watch it for yourselves? Yeah, we didn’t think so, either. Another video of the ’show’ after the jump. Full story Honda gives Metallica fan a chance to meet his heroesHonda and Metallica. Metallica and Honda. Not exactly something we normally associate together, do we? For this occasion though, the automaker and the legendary metal band teamed together to give 24-year old Tom Green an experience of a lifetime. As part of Honda’s ’Live Every Liter Documentary’, Honda invited people to apply for a contest and win an opportunity to live out their dreams. For Green, an environmental consultant, that dream was a chance to attend a Metallica concert in Portugal. Honda liked his application enough to grant him his wish and even went as far as sending out a customized and graffiti-decked Honda CR-Z to bring Green to the concert, which ended up, as you can expect, with the 24-year old raving about the whole experience."Wow, that was unbelievable, backstage is like a promised land for heavy metal fans, somewhere you always hear about, but never get to experience," he said. "To actually go back there before a concert and meet the guys was something I will never forget. It’s even more awesome because so much of the build-up and event was filmed for the documentary so I will be able to relive it again and again." Check out the video to relive Tom’s amazing experience and if you want to fulfill something from your own bucket list, don’t hesitate to tell Honda about it. You never know, you might end up being just like Tom Green. Press Release after the jump Full story Video: Fifth Gear takes the Honda CRZ out for a spinThat ’other’ car show - yep, we’re talking about Fifth Gear - has finally returned to our late night viewing and one of the first things they did was bring us up to speed with Honda’s new hybrid offering, the 2010 CR-Z. In this video, Fifth Gear brings the viewers - that’s us - up-to-speed with the interesting capabilities of the CR-Z. Comparing it to the Volkswagen Scirocco TDI, Fifth Gear wasn’t a little too happy with the technical specs of the Honda hybrid, saying that it didn’t have the natural spunk and sporting moxy that’s typically associated with Hondas. While the car does have quite a bit of performance to it, Fifth Gear noticed that Honda decided to highlight the CR-Z’s efficiency more so than its powertrain performance. As such, if you’re looking for a car that can let your inhibitions take off, the CR-Z isn’t the car for you, but if you’re looking for a ride that’s got ’efficiency’ draped all over it, then the CR-Z should definitely be your ride-of-choice. | Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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