Honda Readies Civic Mugen Si for Spring Debut

LAS VEGAS — Honda took the wraps off a prototype Civic Mugen Si sedan on Tuesday at the SEMA show here and said it would produce a limited quality of 500 units of the vehicle per year.

The vehicle will hit showrooms in the spring with a price under $30,000 and a full factory warranty, the company said.

Mugen is a storied Japanese tuner that was formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor founder Soichiro Honda. The Mugen Si prototype, done up in Fiji Pearl blue, is equipped with a high-performance suspension, forged aluminum wheels, aerodynamic body styling and a sport exhaust system. The suspension, tested at the Twin Ring Motegi racing circuit in Japan, lowers the vehicle by 0.6 inch.

Compared with the stock Civic Si sedan, front and rear damping force was increased between 8 and 24 percent. The forged aluminum wheels are 27 percent lighter than the stock alloy wheel, with high-grip BFGoodrich g-Force KDW 18-inch summer tires.

The aero package adds a front spoiler with a sports grille, side spoilers, a rear bumper diffuser and a rear wing. Inside, a serial number placard is located on the instrument panel, along with a spherical Mugen shift knob.

The Mugen Si was the centerpiece of an ambitious Honda SEMA stand, which included more than 15 project and concept vehicles. In addition, Honda-customized concept vehicles included the ultra-low-profile Fit Sport Extreme Concept and Sport Concept CR-V, with custom versions of accessory body kits, interior accessories and wheels.

The Fit Sport Extreme Concept was decked out in a Scorched Orange metallic and matte black finish with an aerodynamically styled front bumper fascia with carbon-fiber components and HID foglights. The Fit Sport Extreme also has Brembo brakes and a track-tuned suspension package that lowers the vehicle's ride height and enhances handling. Interior changes include custom Recaro sport seats, carbon-fiber accents and a dashboard-mounted prototype portable navigation system.

Honda also showed off a Sport Concept CR-V that included custom 19-inch wheels and an Agile blue paint job. Highlights of this concept include aerodynamically styled front and rear bumpers, along with a sport suspension package that lowers the vehicle for a custom look.

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