Civic Type R

Make
Honda
Segment
Hatchback

In the United States, our exposure to Honda's Mugen Motorsports tuning division is very limited. Unlike Nissan's Nismo division, Mugen doesn't really build cars for the US market, so most of its new reveals include JDM-only models we can't even buy here. At the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon, Mugen is showing off a slew of concept vehicles to preview tuning options for the 2019 model year.

Typically, most of the cars shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon are models we've never heard of for the Japan market, though this year Mugen is showing off a few cars we can buy here in the US. The headliner of Mugen's display includes a new pre-production body kit for the Civic Type R, which makes the standard car look tame by comparison.

People either love or hate the Civic Type R's boy-racer looks. And the new extreme body kit is sure to polarize opinions even further. Mugen has now released what it calls the RC20GT Package Pre Production Model. Although the body kit is still pre-production, the final product should look a lot like these renderings.

This is more than just a styling package, as Mugen says it has improved the car's aerodynamics and cooling efficiency and upgraded the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. If the RC20GT is a bit much for you, Mugen will also offer a more toned down version of the Type R (pictured below).

The Civic Type R isn't the only car on display at the Mugen booth this year. Mugen has also brought along sportier versions of the Insight, CR-V, and N-Van. When we reviewed the Insight, we went out on a limb to call it Honda's prettiest model - this Mugen version takes the Insight's handsome looks and dials up the aggression.

The Mugen CR-V also looks pretty cool and the V-Van is a quirky thing too. We doubt these Mugen parts will be easy to obtain in the US, although if there's a will, there's a way.