Supercharged hybrid Honda debuts

Honda debuted its CR-Z hybrid coupe in sports-kitted Mugen guise at last year’s Sydney motor show, however its Jazz-derived 1.5-litre petrol four and electric motor combo didn’t anywhere near match the car’s race-boy image.

Salvation comes in the form of the MY12 CR-Z Mugen, which adds a mechanical supercharger to the regular model’s ICE and teams with the electric motor to produce around 147kW and 245Nm.

Honda claims that over 50kg has been pulled from the CR-Z’s overall weight, performance is on-par with the Civic Type R – sub-8sec 0-100km/h – and fuel consumption barely worse than the standard CR-Z.

“Early fuel consumption tests have also been encouraging,” says Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro. “We've retained the three driving modes from the standard car and economy ranges from 50+ mpg (under 4.7L/100km) in 'eco' mode to mid-30 mpg (6.7L/100km) when tapping into the supercharged power in a special 'Mugen' mode.”

No word on a production date or Australian availability, but the CR-Z Mugen certainly has an enthusiast appeal not currently offered by any hybrid on-sale.