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2013 Honda HPD CR-Z Pikes Peak 
Earlier this month, Honda was said to enter a total of 10 cars, motorcycles and ATVs in the upcoming 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Along with setting a world record for the company with the most entries in the ultimate hill climb, Honda is also aiming for an overall victory. Last year, Honda obtained victories only in the 450 Division and the "Quad Modified" class, making the run a nearly complete disappointment for the proud automaker. One of these 10 entries will be a CR-Z driven by Sage Marie for Honda North America in the Exhibition class. This race version of the CR-Z was developed by Honda Performance Development and will be equipped with a turbocharger and upgraded hybrid drivetrain that delivers a total of 200 horsepower. The 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is scheduled for June 30, 2013 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Click past the jump to read more about the standard Honda CR-Z. Full story
2013 Honda CR-Z
Honda unveiled the CR-Z back in 2010, but it looks like the little sports coupe is going to receive its first facelift treatment a little earlier than anticipated. The new CR-Z made its official debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show and will go on sale in January 2013. The updated CR-Z has received subtle revisions to the exterior and interior, with the biggest changes being made under the hood. The 1.5-liter petrol engine has been tweaked to deliver an extra 7 horsepower and the electric motor an extra 6 horsepower. With a total of 137 horsepower, the CR-Z will now sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 9 seconds (down from 9.7 seconds). The new CR-Z has also received a Plus Sport (S+) boost system that delivers increased acceleration for up to ten seconds when the battery is more than 50% charged. UPDATE 11/19/2012: Honda U.S.A. has announced prices for the 2013 CR-Z that will go on sale November 21, 2012. Prices will start from $19,975 for the standard version and from $21,655 for the EX version. Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Honda CR-Z. Full story 2012 Honda HPD Supercharged CR-Z Concept
If anyone ever had any doubt that the Honda CR-Z is an incredible vehicle, despite its hybrid powertrain, then they should be checked into the hospital. The CR-Z drives and feels like any other sports car on the market, maybe even better, but for those that are doubtful, check out the new CR-Z introduced by Honda Performance Development at the 2012 SEMA Auto Show. The Honda HPD Supercharged CR-Z Concept continues with the improvements introduced last year, but is even better with a few enhancements to improve acceleration, handling, and stopping. For starters, the CR-Z’s IMA hybrid system gets bumped up from 124 HP and 131 lb-ft of torque to a total of 185 HP and 169 lb-ft of torque. In addition to this bump in power, the CR-Z also gets a new sport exhaust and a new sport suspension. The concept sits on a new set of wheels wrapped in high performance tires combined with sport brakes. Then there’s that incredible red exterior paint finish that just screams, "Look at me!" It may only be a concept, but there’s always hope for production when it comes to cars like this.
2013 Honda CR-Z RZ by Mugen
That didn’t take long, did it? Only days after Honda unveiled an updated version of their sports hybrid model, the CR-Z, the Japanese automaker has already enlisted the help of their in-house aftermarket company to give it added flair. Mugen took the task and the result is a more aggressive and more powerful car that definitely gives the face lifted model some serious attitude. Aesthetically, Mugen went and added new exterior components to the CR-Z, including a new carbon fiber bonnet, more aggressive fog lamps, a new carbon wing mirror, a large rear spoiler, modified bumpers and skirts, and a new set of 17" dark matte grey finished wheels. Inside, the CR-Z was treated to new sports seats, new trim materials with blue accents and a boost gauge for the supercharger... Wait, there’s a supercharger? Thanks to Mugen, there is! So what happens when a supercharger kit is added to a 1.5-liter engine that produces 136 horsepower? Customers will be able to benefit from 40 extra ponies, netting them a total of 176 horsepower. This Mugen-tuned CR-Z will only have 300 models built with each priced at £33,000, which is around $55,000 based on current exchange rates. Sales are expected to begin in November in Japan. 2012 Honda CRZ by Jackson Racing
When Honda was teasing us with the Honda CR-Z back in late-2009 and early-2010, the teaser commercials showed us a hybrid that provided the perfect balance of economy and sport. This made us all immediately think that we were about the get the performance-minded hybrid we had been hoping for. Well, when we finally received the specs on the 2011 CR-Z, we were slightly disappointed with the 122 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque that its 1.5-liter 4-pot pumped out. We were even more distraught when we found out that it only got 31 mpg city and 37 mpg highway – both numbers are now eclipsed by gasoline-only cars. The lack of power translated out to an 8.3-second sprint to 60 mph, which was about 1.5 seconds slower than we all expected to see. Well, it looks like Jackson Racing has finally come up with a solution for those disappointed CR-Z drivers, as it has released a supercharger that will add some excitement to the equation, but only for 6-speed models. This supercharger is available in three stages: tune yourself for $3,995, factory tuned for $4,495, and tuner system for $4,995. The first option includes only the supercharger system, the second system includes the supercharger, Hondata ECU remap and high-flow injectors, and the final kit includes the supercharger, Hondata FlashPro, Jackson’s CR-Z FlashPro calibration and high-flow injectors. The latter kit will push the CR-Z’s output up by up to 50 horsepower and 45 pound-feet of torque, which increases it to an acceptable 172 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque. This likely brings the CR-Z’s 0 to 60 time into its anticipated range of about 6.7 seconds. According to Jackson, this kit will not affect the CR-Z’s fuel economy under regular driving. However, if you like to keep your foot in the cooling fan, you will likely see steep fuel economy drop off. Jackson is currently working on an option for those with the whiny CVT. We say step one of that process should include scrapping the transmission, but we may be a little biased... Click past the jump to read the presser. 2012 Honda CR-Z Hybrid Race Car
Honda is set to bring a new race car to the Super GT series in Japan and true to form, it’s a racing version of the the company’s resident hybrid hatch, the CR-Z. Certainly, by one look at the car, you can pretty much surmise that this isn’t your ordinary CR-Z. Honda co-developed it with their in-house tuning company Mugen and they proceeded to build something that hopefully performs as good as it looks. To enhance the car’s racing capabilities, Honda and Mugen enhanced a number of components on the car, including the suspension, rolling stock and aerodynamics. Then, the attention was turned to its engine, which is to say that they completely modified it to be race-ready. Instead of its rather mundane standard power train, the CR-Z GT was fitted with a 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that comes with a competition-spec electric assist. Output has been limited to 300 horsepower on account of the car competing at the Super GT GT300 class. We’re pretty excited to see how awesome-looking race car performs when it makes its debut in the fourth round of the 2012 Super GT series at the end of the month.
Forza Motorsport 4 Launch Bonus Pack includes Koenigsegg Agera
The new 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo made its debut in Forza Motorsport 4 about two weeks ago. Now, Turn 10 Studis available that will add another 10 vehicles to your list of cars to drive, including the Koenigsegg Agera supercar and the electric Tesla Roadster Sport. The new Launch Bonus Pack includes a collection of ten cars previously available only to those Forza 4 players who had either pre-ordered from specific retail outlets, or picked up the game during its first run via the "Ship Bonus Car Pack." The new Launch Bonus Pack is available for Xbox Live and can be yours for 560 Microsoft Points. The list of 10 cars included in the new Launch Bonus Pack include: 1997 Lexus SC300, 1965 Mustang GT Coupe, 2011 Ruf RGT-8, 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport, 2011 Koenigsegg Agera, 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta, 2011 Subaru WRX STI, 2011 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman, 2011 BMW 1-Series M Coupe, and 2011 Honda CR-Z EX. Hit the jump for a presentation video of all the cars. Full story 2013 Honda CR-Z Type R
Ever since the official launch of the Honda CR-Z, it has been rumored that it would be followed by a Type R version. We haven’t heard anything else about the possible sports upgrade for the past few months, but now it seems the rumors have returned. The first rendering of the future car was inspired by the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept and we have to admit, it looks pretty cool. The most powerful CR-Z currently offered by Honda is the iCF Mugen announced earlier this year. It uses a modified 1.5-liter engine that delivers a total of 173 HP - a significant improvement over the car’s standard 124 HP. It has also been announced that Mugen will offer a more powerful version for the CR-Z, but these two versions will play second and third to Honda’s new, more powerful Type-R model. Previous rumors suggest that the Type-R version will go up to 200hp, thanks to a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine developing a total of 150 HP and a larger 50 HP electric motor. The result will be a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. 2012 Honda CR-Z by Mugen
For six months, Mugen has lead us all to believe that their Honda CR-Z Concept was just for display purposes, wiping away any hopes of ever seeing a production model. Now it seems as though they have come around and officially confirmed that the Honda CR-Z by Mugen will indeed see the light of production day. It will be put on sale in February 2012, with prices in the UK starting at £23,000 or about $36,000 at the current exchange rates. The production version Mugen CR-Z will use a supercharger and a remapped ECU to increase power for the 1.5L four cylinder engine to 197 HP and 158 lb-ft of torque, up from the standard 122 HP and 128 lb-ft of torque. Next to the extra power, customers will also have the opportunity to choose between a wide range of Mugen accessories, including stiffer springs and dampers, larger wheels, bigger brakes, and replacement carbon bonnet and doors. Maybe it’s a coincidence that Honda has confirmed the production version Mugen CR-Z at the same time Toyota and Subaru debuted the GT 86 and BRZ, respectively, or maybe they are developing this model solely for viable competition. Let us know what you think in the comments section below. 2012 Honda CR-Z iCF Mugen
The 2012 Honda CR-Z Mugen is beginning to take shape with at least one special edition model already being announced. The 2012 CR-Z iCF Mugen is being prepared by Honda U.K., promising the kind of performance capabilities that are befitting of Mugen’s fine-tuning. For now, the only details that have surfaced regarding the CR-Z iCF Mugen is that it will carry a modified 1.5-liter engine that comes with an added centrifugal forced air induction system and a remapped ECU that takes the output of the hot hatch to an impressive 173 horsepower. This improved powertrain system allows the car to hit 0-62 mph in just 6.1 seconds while boasting of a top speed of 130 mph. There doesn’t appear to be any final declarations as to how many of these cars will be sold by Honda UK Mugen dealers in the coming future. But for those interested to know how much a piece will sell for, Honda has announced that one model will carry a price tag of £24,000, which is around $37,200 based on current exchange rates. | Honda CR-Z latest reviews:Honda CR-Z tuning:
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