Honda CR-Z At SEMA 2010?Video?

Honda has releases the all-new 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. These collection of cars show the different faces of the CR-Z and what could be possible with a little bit of imagination and careful planning.

The Mugen Honda CR-Z Hybrid features a custom body kit, a new grille, a rear wing spoiler and 17 inch aluminium alloys together with new floor mats, an aluminium shift knob and a billet aluminium oil-filler cap. Production for the Mugen Honda CR-Z Hybrid will be limited to 300 exemplars and in terms of performance no upgrades have been performed.

To amp up the CR-Z Racer, Honda engineers upgraded the IMA hybrid system and equipped the 1.5-liter petrol engine with a turbocharger. Thanks to these tweaks, output climbs to an estimated 200 hp (149 kW / 203 PS) and 175 lb-ft (237 Nm) of torque.

Set to star at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race in December, the HPD CR-Z Racer concept rocks both a turbocharger and upgraded IMA hybrid system that culminates in 150 kilowatts of power and 237Nm of torque. Of course muscle isn�t everything so HPD also grafted in a�performance clutch; limited-slip differential; �circuit-tuned� suspension; upgraded brakes and various aerodynamic components. Personally, as a bit of a CR-Z fan.






Press Release

2011 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid Dominates 2010 SEMA Show

Twelve modified 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupes are featured prominently in the Honda booth at the 2010 SEMA Show, which opens today. As the first available sport hybrid, the CR-Z demonstrates new opportunities for vehicle personalization among the import tuner community. Several significant vehicles are being unveiled at the show, including a 2011 CR-Z equipped with MUGEN* accessories, the Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD) CR-Z Hybrid R Concept, the HPD CR-Z Racer and several vehicles equipped with Honda Genuine Accessories.

"With the CR-Z sport hybrid coupe, drivers can achieve the great efficiency of a hybrid car without giving up the fun that many demand from a sporty car," said Bruce Smith, vice president of Parts Operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The combination of greener practicality with style and fun makes this vehicle a perfect fit for young, environmentally conscious buyers looking to further personalize their cars."

A 2011 CR-Z equipped with MUGEN accessories is also being revealed, and Honda announced that in the spring of 2011, it will begin sales of a limited-edition MUGEN accessory kit for the vehicle. Limited to only 300 complete kits, the package includes: a full MUGEN body kit; a front grille; a rear wing spoiler; 17-inch "XJ" aluminum wheels; sport mats; a unique black aluminum shift knob and a billet aluminum oil-filler cap. Further, after purchase, each owner will receive a unique serial-number plaque designating each kit as one of 300 available. All of the painted parts will come color-matched to each of the five available CR-Z colors. Pricing details will be made available closer to the on-sale date.

Also unveiled today were two concept vehicles from HPD: the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept and the HPD CR-Z Racer. Though neither vehicle is intended for sale, HPD, Honda's North American racing company, was determined to demonstrate the potential of the CR-Z for both street and racing performance. Both vehicles share many performance enhancements, with the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept highlighting Honda-designed street styling and the HPD CR-Z Racer opting for serious racing capability. To demonstrate that capability, HPD will campaign two HPD CR-Z Racers at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race in December. HPD enhancements to both cars include: a turbocharger and upgraded IMATM hybrid system, resulting in an estimated combined 200 horsepower and 175 lb-ft. of torque; performance clutch; limited-slip differential; �circuit-tuned' suspension; upgraded brakes and aerodynamic components.

Two vehicles were on display to demonstrate currently available Honda Genuine Accessories. For the CR-Z, Honda displayed a vehicle equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels; side, front lip and tailgate spoilers; a rear diffuser; an illuminated door-sill trim and an interior armrest. Additionally, a 2010 Accord Coupe equipped with dealer-installed Honda Factory PerformanceTM (HFPTM) components melded a distinctive, custom appearance with an enhanced level of handling performance. All Honda Genuine Accessories offer the same 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty as the rest of the vehicle, when installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and are engineered to be fully compatible with each Honda vehicle.

On display as a demonstration concept only, the Accord Crosstour HFP Concept features 19-inch HFP wheels; a full HFP body kit and front grille; a prototype lowered HFP sport suspension; color-matched door handles and special black-out door sash trim.

Reaching out to the import community, Honda invited six independent vehicle tuners to build and display their CR-Z hybrid concepts at the SEMA Show. Tuners were asked to push the limits to improve fuel economy and performance with their builds, and the vehicles on display show the variety of directions in which a personalized sport hybrid can go. Beyond this group, both the Los Angeles Auto Show and Honda Tuning Magazine displayed their CR-Z special project cars in the Honda booth.

Volvo Mean Green � World�s Fastest Hybrid Truck

Volvo Trucks has produced a unique hybrid truck powered by a standard 16-litre 700 hp engine with twin turbos, an automated I-Shift gearbox and of course an electric motor. All this adds an additional 200 horsepower and 1100 Newton metres of torque- it�s quick!

Apart from the combustion engine, the Volvo Mean Green truck also has an electric motor, which adds 200 hp and 1100 Nm to the total output of the vehicle. The massive powerplant of the Volvo Mean Green truck sends its power to the wheels via a automated I-Shift gearbox.
The Volvo Mean Green truck has to beat a world record of a 166.7 km/h two-way average speed and a top speed of 260 km/h.

Aerodynamic improvements were made using a CAD simulated wind tunnel. Designer Jonas Sandstrom spent countless our doing this, together with his very dedicated team. �The absolute elite among Volvo�s hybrid technology experts are the driving force behind the project. They are true enthusiasts, every last one of them. I�d go so far as to say that �Mean Green� is the world�s fastest hybrid truck.�




Press Release

"MEAN GREEN' � THE WORLD'S FASTEST HYBRID TRUCK
Mean Green is a unique hybrid truck built by an enthusiastic team at Volvo Trucks. They plan to use it next spring to beat the world speed record for the standing kilometer and behind the wheel is Swedish truck racing ace, Boije Ovebrink.

�The absolute elite among Volvo�s hybrid technology experts are the driving force behind the project. They are true enthusiasts, every last one of them. I�d go so far as to say that �Mean Green� is the world�s fastest hybrid truck,� says Ovebrink.

To understand how he can make this claim with such confidence, we need to rewind to November 2007. Ovebrink had just beaten his own standing kilometre record from 2001 for trucks with a maximum displacement of 16 litres. He achieved this by reaching an average speed of 158.829 km/h with his red Volvo NH16 - a.k.a. �The Wild Viking�. After winning he met Staffan Jufors, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks, who asked him, �Do you plan to sit down and twiddle your thumbs now, enjoying the fame that comes with being world champion or do you have any new ideas?� Ovebrink replied: �I�d like to build the world�s fastest hybrid truck.�

�The idea met with approval, but at the time I had no idea about the fantastic technology Volvo had in the pipeline,� he recalls.

Planning for the hybrid got under way, but suddenly, however, a Czech truck racing team claimed they had beaten Ovebrink�s record. Order had to be restored, so that spring, Volvo engineer Olof Johansson got down to some serious work. He started building a truck that could retake the record, but that could also be reconfigured for the planned racing hybrid driveline. That truck is now called �Mean Green�. But the team decided not to install the hybrid driveline straight away.

�I started building the truck from two half frames that had been earmarked for the scrap yard and the American VN cab came from a crash-tested chassis whose cab was totally intact,� he explains.

Weight reduction was absolutely crucial to setting new records. For example, the front axle was milled by experts from Volvo�s engine factory in Sk�vde, Sweden and reduced from 100 kgs to 57 kgs. Then the gear set for first gear was removed from the gearbox, shaving another seven kgs off.

�I slit open the wiring harnesses and removed unnecessary wiring. That slashed almost six kilos,� says Johansson.

Ovebrink was also ordered to lose weight, as he recalls, �They made me promise to lose 20 kilos and, so fa,r I�m half-way to my target.�

Designer Jonas Sandstr�m at Volvo put in many hours with his CAD program to come up with the optimal aerodynamic shape.

�It�s important that the wind breaks away from the bodywork in the right way. Our truck differs from a Formula 1 car, for instance, in that the aerodynamic properties allow the truck to slice through the air rather than be pressed down onto the road surface,� he explains.

Just a few days before the assault on the record, it was announced that FIA, the international motorsport organisation, had disallowed the Czech team�s result. Still, there was no need to cancel the planned attempt on the record. Ovebrink and the Volvo team were aiming to further improve on the 2007 record - and on June 9th 2010 they did just that. The new world record for the standing kilometre was set at a two-way average speed of 166.7 km/h. Top speed was in the region of 260 km/h.

Once this was achieved, focus reverted to what the entire project had been about from the very outset.

�Olof immediately went on the offensive. The very same day the new record was set; he pulled out his toolbox and started modifying the truck to build what we see today � a thoroughbred hybrid.�

The truck already had a standard Volvo 16-litre 700 hp engine with equipment including twin turbos from Volvo Penta. It was a powerplant delivering a massive 1900 horsepower. The truck retained that unit. However, the lightened Powertronic auto-shifter was replaced with a modified version of Volvo�s automated I-Shift gearbox so that the transmission could interact with the component that makes �Mean Green� a hybrid � its electric motor.

�This gives an additional 200 horsepower and 1100 Newton metres of torque. The result is a lightning-speed boost from start-off without any of the customary diesel-engine �lag�. It�s like a champagne cork, but without the sound effects. For the first couple of seconds, the truck just makes a slight whistle until the diesel engine, which runs on renewable liquid rosin diesel, starts delivering with explosive force � by which time the truck is already doing 60 km/h and I can engage ninth gear,� explains Ovebrink.

So, when is �Mean Green� going to make its bid for the standing kilometre record ? �This November we�ll test race it at Volvo�s H�llered proving ground to see what it�s capable of. Then, as soon as the winter snows disappear early next spring, we�ll set our record.� says Ovebrink, confidently.

Doing post-race checks

When a driver wins a Formula One race, he may suddenly become the most important person at the track that day, but he still has to follow the rules. However much the driver may want to drive straight back into his garage, crack open the champagne with his team, and party long into the night, he knows he has to wait a little bit longer for that.
As soon as he has completed his slowing down lap, the winning driver enters the pit lane and he is directed to an area called parc ferme. As its name suggests, this is a closed, fenced-off area where only race officials and drivers are allowed. This area is where the post-race checks take place. These checks ensure that all cars are legal and that teams haven�t cheated in their quest for glory.
The winning driver�s team members and the team members of his two closest challengers all rush up to the side of parc ferme to cheer on their star. This is the first time that a driver has seen his team members close up since the end of the race and, if the winner had managed to calm down on the slowing down lap, then this moment is sure to get his emotions flowing again. Because the winners don�t have long in parc ferme (they need to be weighed and rushed up to the podium ceremony), you often see them rush over to congratulate a handful of people with hugs � and perhaps a kiss � before they disappear again for a few moments. The people a driver is likely to make a special effort to see are the following:
_ His wife or girlfriend
_ His team boss
_ His manager
_ His race engineer
_ His best friend

Finally the Finish Line

No matter how fast a driver is, how good his car is, and how much sponsorship money there is pushing his team towards glory, winning a Formula One race is not something that anyone can take for granted. It is the end result of an incredible amount of effort and, even with a technical advantage over your opposition, a driver still has to push himself and his team to the limit to ensure that they do not slip up.
There is a famous saying in motor racing that to finish first, first you have to finish. And doesn�t every Formula One driver out there know it. There have been countless occasions when drivers have looked all set for a spectacular victory only to have things go wrong in the final stages of the race. Formula One drivers often talk about hearing strange noises from their cars in the final laps of a race as they begin getting really paranoid of not making it to the finish.
One of the most famous times in recent history was at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix when Nigel Mansell had dominated the race and was poised for his first win of the season. On the final lap of the race, with no challenger near him, he started waving to the crowd who were cheering him all the way. Unfortunately, on the way into a slow hairpin, he got too excited and forgot to change down a gear to get around the corner. This mistake caused his car to stall, and he was left stranded at the side of the track. His team was not happy, to say the least! That is why some drivers wait until a few short seconds before the chequered flag, knowing that if anything does go wrong with their car, they would still be able to coast across the line, before sticking their arms out of the cockpit and accepting the victory. As soon as a driver takes the chequered flag (explained in the following section), the race is over, but the spectacle isn�t � not yet anyway.
The first driver across the finish line receives the chequered flag. As the driver crosses the line to take the chequered flag, you often see him move off the racing line and swerve towards the pits. But don�t worry; he isn�t trying to scare the man waving the chequered flag. Instead, he wants to cross the finishing line and get right alongside his team members, who will be crowded onto the pit wall and cheering him on. It is a very special moment winning a Formula One race, and it�s probably the only time of the entire weekend when crew and driver can relax for a few short moments.