2012 Honda Cr-z Ex Hatchback 2-door 1.5l on 2040-cars

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Bonkers Honda Vezel headlines Mugen's lineup at Tokyo Auto Salon

Japanese automakers and their tuning divisions have descended upon the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City for the 2014 Tokyo Auto Salon. And for Honda, it's all about Mugen.
Honda's Japanese Domestic Market tuning division brought a series of modified concepts and racing cars to the salon this year, including the CR-Z hybrid touring car it fields in the Super GT series, the SF13 single-seater from the Super Formula series as well as customized versions of the Fit, Odyssey and N-WGN. But the prize for the most outrageous of them all surely goes to the modified Vezel you see above.
Modeled on Honda's new Fit-based crossover, the Mugen Vezel Concept goes further than the versions we've seen until now. It features a bonkers body kit, dual exhaust, brake upgrade, sport suspension, intricate 20-inch alloy wheels and an upgraded interior. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you're feeling still interested, you can check it out in the gallery above, along with the announcement below and the specs on Mugen's website.

Weekly Recap: Car-pedestrian crashes remained elevated in 2014

The death of American Horror Story: Freak Show star Ben Woolf served as a reminder this week that car crashes involving pedestrians remain a problem, and a new study issued on Thursday reinforced that the situation isn't really getting better. The Governors Highway Safety Association found a slight decline, 2.8 percent, in the number of pedestrian deaths in the first six months of 2014. Fatalities dropped from 2,141 to 2,125 compared with the same period in 2013, though the association says it's a statistical wash when factoring in undercounting. Deaths are still 15-percent higher than in 2009. "The number of deaths remains relatively high and is cause for concern," wrote Allan Williams, who compiled the report and is the former chief scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This is the first look at data from last year, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will issue its full-year results later. The GHSA found some progress on the roadways, as 24 states and the District of Columbia reported drops in pedestrian deaths. In some states, the problem isn't even a problem at all: Nebraska and Wyoming reported one fatality apiece, though large population centers in urban areas are where most accidents occur. "This is a clearly a good news, bad news scenario," Jonathan Adkins, GHSA executive director, said in a statement. "While we're encouraged that pedestrian fatalities haven't increased over the past two years, progress has been slow." Other News & Notes Cadillac previews CT6 during Oscars Cadillac previewed its upcoming flagship sedan, the CT6, in commercials that aired Sunday during the Oscars. As expected, the creased sedan carries on Cadillac's recent design language, and the car in the commercial looks like a larger version of the CTS and ATS sedans. The CT6 will be revealed this spring at the New York Auto Show and launch late this year. It will be assembled at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck factory on a rear-wheel-drive chassis, and the CT6 is the first car to use Cadillac's revised alpha-numeric naming scheme. The commercials also kicked off Cadillac's "Dare Greatly" campaign, which is the first with its new advertising agency, Publicis Worldwide. Honda unexpectedly changes CEOs Honda unexpectedly announced this week that it will change CEOs. Current chief Takanobu Ito will step down in June and be replaced by company veteran Takahiro Hachigo.

Clarion Builds' 1991 Acura NSX going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson

Having driven it, I can say with full confidence that Clarion Builds' tuned and restored 1991 Acura NSX is a very, very special car. If you're in the market for just such a vehicle, good news: on October 20, that very same NSX will be going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas. As much as the people behind the car hate to see it leave their hands, this just makes room for another awesome project to take its place. Really, this was the final fate for the NSX all along. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the American Red Cross. At the end of its life, Clarion Builds' 1974 BMW 2002 was auctioned off, too. Rather than simply holding on to the car or selling it for profit, the company partnered with Barrett-Jackson auctions. The auction house doesn't charge a fee for charity vehicles, meaning all of the money will go toward the Red Cross. The 2002 sold in 2016 for $125,000. Clarion Builds' expects the NSX to fetch even more money. This NSX has more than 230,000 miles on the chassis. It packs a 3.2-liter supercharged V6 and a six-speed manual transmission. Everything, from the bodywork to the suspension, has been modified. The car will be showcased in Las Vegas before and after the auction alongside Clarion Builds' latest project, a 1993 BMW 850Ci. More on that car to come sometime soon. Related Video: Image Credit: Larry Chen Acura Honda Auctions Coupe Performance