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.
Our friends over at Honda Malaysia understand the market’s inclination and preference for dressed up white vehicles. So instead of letting these customers worry about how to dress up their Hondas, Honda Malaysia decided to do the dressing up for them.
Honda Malaysia President and COO Rohime Shafie explained that through a survey conducted by the company, they discovered that a number of their customers preferred the addition of extra accessories to further establish sportiness and exclusivity to the cars.
“With this finding, and in view of the increasing trend of preference for white shaded vehicles in Malaysia market, we have created a fleet of white-coloured Concept M special edition models to fulfill customers’ demand,” he said.
With the introduction of the Concept M models, Honda Malaysia has given three of its models – the Accord, the Civic, and the Jazz – kitted-out, special edition variants. Named in honor of Honda’s two official accessories partners Mugen and Modulo, the Concept M models are taken to a whole new dressed up variant, all while sporting the increasingly popular white finish. The results are three dressed up Honda vehicles that will have customers tripping over each other in an effort to get one of these limited edition models for themselves.
Details after the jump
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The first running of the Goodwood Moving Motor Show was the scene of a horrifying car accident that occurred when a spectator sitting inside a running Honda Civic Mugen R accidentally stepped on the gas pedal, causing the car to plow straight into two pedestrians and two parked Jaguars, the oldest surviving Jaguar E-Type and a new Jaguar XKR.
Not exactly the kind of start it was hoping for.
Details are still limited, but witnesses present during the entire incident suggested that the driver of the Civic Mugen R was sitting cozy on the driver’s seat of the car before mistakenly revving up the running car and sending careening across the main pedestrian hallway and straight into the Jaguar booth before crashing into the back wall on the other side of the pavilion.
It took a while for the scene to be cleared up but in the end, the show eventually reopened to the public except for one event: the much hyped ‘Ride and Drive’.
Incidents like this could have been avoided if people just exercised a little sense of caution. But since it already happened, the most important thing is that while a number of people were hurt, it doesn’t appear to be too serious to have caused any serious injuries.
Honda dealerships in the UK will be introducing a new line of parts and accessories that are all close to the heart of Honda tuners in the country. Beginning with eight dealerships around the UK, Honda announced that it will launch the MUGEN Original Parts Programme, a program wherein a number of dealerships will start offering MUGEN parts and accessories for interested customers.
Granted, the initial parts will only cover the current Honda Civic Type R - among the parts include body kits, forged aluminum wheels, performance brake pads, quick shift kits, and sports suspensions - but Honda has made it clear that as time goes by, more and more MUGEN parts and accessories will be available to a wide variety of Honda models.
Despite being a relative newbie in the UK market, Honda is confident that MUGEN products will deliver the same level of enthusiasm and excitement that it has given to Japanese tuners for over 35 years.
Colin Whittamore, chief of MUGEN Europe, said, "We are delighted to be teaming up with some knowledgeable and enthusiastic Honda dealers who will bring MUGEN products to a wider audience."
"Through this program we are looking forward to attracting new and existing customers to experience why MUGEN has been renowned for many years as a world leader in motorsport."
Press Release after the jump
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You may remember the Honda CR-Z hybrid when it made an appearance last January at the Detroit Auto Show?
Well, even if the car is not on sale yet, Mugen is nevertheless preparing a new customization program that should - at least in theory - make the car look better than it already is despite the engine remaining relatively unchanged.
Among the new exterior modifications the CR-Z hybrid is expected to come in includes an exterior package highlighted by 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 CR-Z hybrid’s interior also gets a modification of its own courtesy of a new carbon fiber mirror, unique gear lever knobs and floor mats.
