The Honda CR-Z found itself on the receiving end of much criticism from the automotive press and enthusiasts when it launched overseas last year. If this Mugen concept ever sees the light of day, that might all just change.

(Credit: Honda)

Greenies didn’t like the hybrid’s merely average fuel economy and enthusiasts chided its less-than-hard-core performance. A few of these enthusiasts figured they could do better. This is where Mugen, Honda’s sometimes-official tuning division comes into the picture with its CR-Z Mugen concept, set to debut in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Realising that you can’t please everyone, Mugen instead focuses on the needs and wants of the front-wheel drive tuning crowd, slapping a supercharger onto the hybrid’s 1.5-litre petrol engine. In concert with the electric motor, total output is now 148kW of power and 245Nm torque.

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(Credit: Honda)

The petrol engine also receives internal upgrades to cope with the power enhancement. Further increasing the power-to-weight ratio is a reduction of 50kg from the curb weight. Performance of the CR-Z Mugen is said to be on par with the high-revving Honda Civic Type R.

Outside of the engine bay, the CR-Z Mugen has also received upgraded Mugen parts for its suspension, brakes and body components, as well as 17-inch forged alloy Mugen GP wheels. As the hybrid system is still intact, the CR-Z still retains its three modes of operation, including a fuel-saving Eco mode, Standard mode and Sport mode. However, there’s now also a fourth, Mugen, which we’re assuming allows the CR-Z Mugen to take full advantage of that supercharger’s maximum output.

According to Honda the modified CR-Z will achieve fuel economy of better than 5.6L/100km in Eco mode, while it should do around 8L/100km in Mugen mode.

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(Credit: Honda)

Unfortunately, the CR-Z Mugen that rolls out at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in early July will be a concept that will likely never grace the showroom floor of your local Honda dealer. Still, it doesn’t hurt to dream. So is this the CR-Z that Honda should have built in the first place? Maybe, but maybe not. Try dropping the additional weight of the IMA drive and its supporting battery pack and building a super-light performance concept and then we’ll talk.

Via CNET

Officially this is now a pack of Prii.
(Credit: Toyota)

This has led to years of confusion, as journalists, dealers and Prius enthusiasts - yes, they exist - coined all sorts of awkward terms, such as the difficult to say Priuses.

With the unveiling of the Prius V and the Prius C concept cars, and the automaker's stated plans to expand Prius into a hybrid sub-brand, Toyota, for the first time, was forced to officially choose a plural form of Prius.

So, the automaker crowdsourced it, running a contest on its Prius family website and on its Facebook page to decide the official plural form. Users could choose from one of five options: Prius, Priuses, Prii, Prium and Prien.

This week, the automaker and the people have finally weighed in and come to a consensus. The official plural form of Prius is Prii, as in, "Peter passed a pack of parked Prii". Personally, I'm sticking with my personal plurality: Priopotami.

For the curious, the voting panned out thusly: Prii 25 per cent, Prius 24 per cent, Priuses 20 per cent, Prien 18 per cent and Prium 13 per cent.

Via CNET

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Building a car is no easy feat. Creating a time lapse video of the building of a car adds an element of complexity.

However, creating a cohesive stop motion video documenting the in-garage assembly of a rally-ready Suzuki Swift GTi over the course of many months, while cool, is downright insane.

Fortunately, Michal Bakiewicz is insane. He's done just that and published the video to his YouTube account. Check the video out below to see (or rather, not see) Michal in action.

Via CNET

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Tesla is breaking the Model S's pre-production testing into two phases, alpha and beta. Within each phase, the automaker will be building multiple test mules as it attempts to home in on its performance, range and crash safety targets. Tesla also notes that the alpha development phase has been in progress since last year.

Graham Sutherland, Tesla's vehicle dynamicist, states: "The first alpha is amazingly agile for a car of its size. It has great handling balance and poised ride with communicative steering. Just goes to show what combining a low centre of gravity with a very stiff body structure can achieve."

Of course, the Model S can attribute its low centre of gravity to its flattened battery pack acting as a ballast just below the vehicle's floor.

Along with this statement, Tesla has released video of a Model S Alpha whipping silently along a country back road. Check out the footage below.

Via CNET US

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A techie and their smartphone are seldom separated, but even the most phone-obsessed of us have had moments where we've left for work or walked out of a bar without our precious phone.

On hand at CES 2011 is a neat little car tech gadget called the Bringrr, which wirelessly checks that your mobile phone is in the car when you embark on a trip. The Bringrr sits in your vehicle's 12-volt charger and pairs with your phone via Bluetooth. When it senses the car starting, it pings your phone wirelessly. If the phone is present, nothing happens and you can continue your trip without interruption. However, if the phone isn't in range, the Bringrr will pulse a red LED and audibly notify you to check for your phone.

There are two Bringrr designs available: the Bringrr Classic for US$34.95, and the Bringrr Charge, which adds a USB charging port and includes mini- and a micro-USB charging cables for US$39.95. Also available is the Bringrr Power Pack, which bundles the Bringrr Charge with a USB wall charger for US$44.95.

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