Mugen Honda Jazz considered: report
According to a recent Autocar report in the UK, Honda tuning specialist Mugen Europe is thinking of making a sports version of the Honda Jazz. Mugen is the company responsible for the supercharged Mugen Honda CR-Z and has admitted some interest in tuning a Jazz.
The Honda Jazz, perhaps the most humble of all Honda cars, with its user-friendly and very practical attitude, is just asking to be transformed into a hot hatch. Well, not really, it hasn't stopped Mugen conjuring up some plans though. Mugen Euro general manager Colin Whittamore recently said, "Always in the back of our mind as a car that we’d like to do is the Jazz".
Mugen in Japan already has some separate upgrade packages for local Jazz (called the Fit in Japan) owners to add on, but Mugen Euro is thinking of developing an entire sports version of the car almost from scratch. Like the Mugen CR-Z, the Jazz would be subjected to a healthy dose of carbon fibre in exchange for some of the metal panels for weight reduction, some serious brakes and suspension, and engine tuning.
Reports say the engine could be a highly-tuned 2.0-litre VTEC unit capable of revving to extreme limits, or, the company could use the supercharged Mugen CR-Z package including the hybrid setup. Mugen Euro has apparently said the CR-Z engine option could be engineered into the Jazz quite easily.
We'll have to wait and see though as no official confirmation on such a model has been announced yet.