Honda Civic Type R MUGEN

British tuners Mugen Euro will build up to 20 units of Honda Civic Type R Mugen, a "road-legal super hatch." The car will receive 240PS from the 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine, a 20% gain over the untuned version.

"Each Type R MUGEN will be an exclusive, hand-built race car for the road," said Mugen Euro VP Hiroki Toyoda. "When we launched the Civic Type RR saloon in Japan, we sold out of all 300 units in just six minutes. Given the interest we have already had from car enthusiasts in the UK and abroad, we hope to repeat that achievement."

The car will be hand-built in the U.K., with engineers installing new camshafts, pistons, intake, and exhaust. The car has a limited slip differential, a nice feature for some of Great Britain's windier roads. Forged alloy wheels weigh only 7.85 kilograms per wheel, and cover four-piston racing caliper brakes. The company wrapped the wheels in "track-ready road-legal" tires.

Each Type R Mugen will be coated in Championship White, Honda's racing color. Exterior features include a new rear wing, and composite front and rear skirts. A custom grille, with Mugen badge, was also installed. Inside, Recaro seats were used for the driver and front passenger, while the rear seat bench was stripped out altogether.

To get your hands on one of these cars, prepare to spend £38,599. That price includes taxes, fees, and paperwork. You can read more about the Honda Civic Type R Mugen in the press release below.

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[Video] Honda EV-N all-electric concept Revealed in Tokyo

Old meets new with the official introduction of the Honda EV-N all-electric concept car. Looking like an odd, futuristic cross between a classic Fiat 500 and a classic Mini Cooper, the EV-N creates a "fun, easygoing relationship between person and car," (whatever that means).

Despite the tiny size, the battery-powered car is a four-seater. Rear seats may be folded down to provide storage space. Helping to keep the battery charged is a solar panel placed in the roof.

The 105-second video shows the close-cropped car from multiple angles, with some focus given to the vehicle's lighting unique. Fabric options range from standard red, to a tartan-plaid blue, and checkered yellow. These can be swapped out whenever, and wherever, the owner feels like it, guaranteed to satisfy any cosplay schoolgirl.

Battery charge information is displayed on the vehicle's "grille," with more information provided to let others on the road know if the car is going to stop, start, or turn. The driver stays up-to-date on the system status thanks to well-placed in-dash screen.

Frighteningly, Honda wants people to drive this car "in the same carefree way they talk to friends on a mobile phone or listen to tunes on a music player." This seems like a very, very bad idea.

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The Honda Civic is now available in Tafetta White

The Honda Civic is now available in Tafetta White, making it the third model in the Honda Malaysia line-up to offer the new colour. Both the 1.8 liter and 2.0 liter models will get the new colour. Tafetta White Civics are expected to be quite high in demand, accounting for 30% of projected 600 units sales per month.

“After conducting research and analyzing customer feedback, coupled with the positive response from the introduction of the colour for Honda Accord and Honda CR-V, we decided to incorporate the Taffeta White in the Honda Civic 1.8L and 2.0L as well,” said Honda Malaysia’s new CEO Toru Takahashi.

Mr Takahashi also revealed that the two CBU Civic models – the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Honda Civic Type R – have surpassed over 200 units each in Malaysia. The Type R is currently sold out for the moment and it’s not known when the next batch will come in. The last unit was sold by Honda Global Amity in Seri Kembangan.

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2009 Honda Step WGN

Honda Japan has begun selling the all-new fourth-generation Step WGN and the Step WGN special-needs vehicle. Their siblings the Step WGN Spada and Step WGN Spada special-needs vehicle will debut on October 23. Although most probable, Honda makes no mention of the Step WGN appearing at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The Step WGN is a multi-purpose vehicle with a flat low-floor and low centre of gravity. It will swallow up to eight passengers but still offer plenty of utility options. Length and height have been increased by 50mm and 45mm respectively for more room. Under-floor storage for third-row seats has been included alongside a whole array of other storage options. Some of the seats can be folded and flipped up to suit whatever occasion.

Power comes from a 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine said to make the Step WGN a class leader in fuel consumption figures. An average of 14.2 litres per 100km is returned under Japanese test specifications. Its mate can either be a CVT or a 5-speed automatic depending on the customer's needs. Both FWD and AWD are offered for the several models and packages.
Honda has designed it to be attractive with a sculpted front grille, large headlights and a roof that appears to slope rearward. The interior features things like 3D self-illuminated gauges for convenience.

Prices start at ¥2,088,000 (€15,897/ US$24,400) including consumption tax

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Honda Accord Interior Images for Controversial Crosstour Released

More photos and details on the upcoming Honda Accord Crosstour have been released, this time with images of the interior cabin.
Following a largely negative reaction to the Crosstour's design by car enthusiasts and critics alike, who have plainly called it ugly, Honda is trying to mitigate the damage by promoting the practicality of the vehicle. It refers to the Crosstour's design as a "sleek and aerodynamic shape that blends sporty, low-profile contours with versatile [crossover] functionality." But it's consumers who will have the ultimate say about its looks and what their judgement will be remains to be seen.

The Crosstour is the crossover variant of the Honda Accord and features a spacious cabin that seat 5 and also comes with what Honda calls a Hidden Removable Utility Box in the trunk - a storage box that fits 8-inches into the floor of the vehicle.
Powering the range-topping Accord variant will be Honda's 3.5 liter i-VTEC V-6 engine. The Crosstour will also be available as an all-wheel drive.

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Honda Skydeck MPV with scissor doors

Honda’s new SKYDECK concept can seat 6 people in a three-row passenger configuration . Honda’s last 6-seater was the Honda Edix which has now been phased out, but that MPV had its 6 seats in a two row configuration, similiar to what Fiat did for their Multipla.
The styling cues are quite obviously inspired by the CR-Z, which leads me to believe this kind of look might become quite commonplace on future Hondas. The front doors have a scissor hinge like a Lamborghini while the rear door is of the rearward-sliding variety. The powertrain is of course a hybrid but no further details have been revealed.
More will probably be disclosed at the Tokyo show next month, so stay tuned, but for now you can look after the jump for hi-res images.

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Honda CR-Z Hybrid Sports Coupe

The CR-X lives on to tell another tale, or at least sort of. The spiritual successor to Honda's much missed small coupe, the gasoline-electric hybrid CR-Z, will be unveiled in near production form at next month's Tokyo Motor Show. Despite the fact that CR-Z carries a concept moniker, it's obvious that only a few changes will be made to the production model that is scheduled to be launched in Japan in February 2010 and the rest of the world sometime after.
At a first glance, the so-called "CR-Z Concept 2009" doesn't appear to be that different from the original CR-Z concept car that was displayed at the 2007 Tokyo show.
However, as you can see for yourselves in the photos that we've attached below, a closer look reveals that Honda's designers thoroughly reworked the sport coupe's front and rear ends as well as the profile.
Not surprisingly, the pre-production CR-Z's interior has nothing in common with the 2007 concept model, but sans the sportier trim, the dashboard's styling does bring to mind the Insight...
As of yet, there's nothing official on the CR-Z's hybrid powertrain, but recent reports suggest that Honda will ditch the Insight's 1.3-liter petrol engine for a more powerful 1.5-liter unit combined with a more potent electric motor.

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Honda's retro-styled electric cars

The Honda EV-N Concept is surprisingly retro-styled in a sea of very futuristic Honda concepts being released in the past 2 to 3 years. Like you can probably expect from its name, the EV-N Concept is an electric car, though for the moment Honda has not released any details on its motor and battery specifications. It’s probably got a pretty short range though, designed to be used for short commutes in cities like Tokyo.
After you reach your destination and park but you’re feeling a little lazy, you can take out one of the U3-X Segway-like unicycles which is smartly strapped to the passenger door. At first I thought it was some really big and hardcore speaker system or something.

The EV-N Concept is part of a larger display called the “HELLO!” (Honda Electric mobility Loop) display, where Honda will be showcasing a total “ecosystem” of mobility products. You have products that supply electricity, vehicles that run on electricity and products with innovative electronic technologies.
There will be solar panels that supply electricity and battery electric vehicles that emit zero emissions in use. The HELLO showcase is pretty much a preview of the potential of a low-carbon society of the future of course centered around Honda products. In addition, each HELLO! vehicle features communication technologies that showcase fun ways in which mobility devices can interact with people and society.
Look after the jump more shots of the Honda EV-N Concept.

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Honda Develops New Personal Mobility Device

Honda has unveiled a new personal mobility concept called the U3-X.

Essentially a fancy Segway unicycle, the U3-X features the world's first omni-directional driving wheel system (dubbed Honda Omni Traction Drive System). Combined with Honda's balance control technology, the device promises to be safe and user friendly.

The U3-X "fits comfortably between the rider's legs" (it has a seat), and allows them to move forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally. To speed up, slow down, stop, or change directions, riders simply shift their upper body weight in the direction they want to go.

Weighing less than 10kg (22 lbs), the device is powered by a small lithium-ion battery that provides one hour of operation.

While the U3-X is just a concept, Honda says they will conduct real-world testing to verify the practicality of the device.

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