Japanese tuner Mugen has announced it will be attending the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon with the latest generation Honda Civic Type R. scheduled to take place. In the meantime, we could see one more custom car making its way to the Japanese equivalent of SEMA. It’s based on the ZR-V, basically the North American HR-V.
Although the JDM-spec Honda ZR-V is offered with a turbocharged 1.5-liter petrol engine and a 2.0-liter hybrid that both produce less than 200 horsepower, Mugen outfitted the crossover with a quad exhaust system. It also gained a special tailgate-mounted spoiler flanking the Honda badge, along with black stickers along the bottom of the door and tailgate.
Also coming to Europe in 2023, the ZR-V for TAS will have black add-on trim on the corners of the rear bumper as well as on the roof spoiler. Mugen made the side skirts more muscular and redesigned the grille and bumper with the aim of giving the front fascia a sportier appearance. Custom wheels and black mirror caps with aero fins round out the tweaks.
The blue Honda badge and the e:HEV logo in the lower right corner of the tailgate suggest Mugen will be bringing a hybrid version of the ZR-V to the show. The hatchback and crossover will share the spotlight with several of the race cars competing in this year’s Japan Super Formula Championship.
TAS will take place between January 13 and 15 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, the capital city of Chiba Prefecture.
Apart from the Mugen Civic Type R, another performance car we’d really like to see at TAS is the Fairlady Z Special Edition prepared by Nismo.
