Honda introduced the Civic Type R in Geneva.

Honda generated plenty of buzz when it unveiled the new Civic Type R in Geneva earlier this month – though it was more like a chorus of groans here in the U.S. when the maker said it had no plans to bring the hot hatch to the States.

Well, that might be about to change. According to a report out of Japan, Honda apparently is rethinking its decision. It appears quite likely American buyers will soon have the opportunity to buy the standard-issue hatchback which would be imported from a plant in England. And the Civic Type R could also be U.S.-bound.

“We’ve made no announcements,” stressed Steve Kinkade, a Detroit-based Honda spokesman. But he also would not discuss the Japanese maker’s plans for its news conference at the upcoming New York Auto Show.

There’s plenty of reason to want about the sporty styling of the European Civic hatchback, but the Type R, with its turbocharged 2.0-liter four making a solid 300-hp, is the car to really set hearts aflutter.

(For more on the Geneva debut of the Civic Type R, Click Here.)

Honda is claiming that a prototype version lapped grueling North loop of the Nurburgring in just 7:50.63, about four seconds faster than the previous record for a front-drive car set last year on the Nordschleife by a Renault Megane RS. If you focus on launch times, it reportedly can launch to 100 kmh, or 62.5 mph, in 5.7 seconds.

An earlier concept version of the Civic Type R.

No wonder Honda insiders have been referring to the R as a “racing car for the road.” They also see it at a serious challenger to the new Volkswagen Golf R just arriving in U.S. showrooms for the first time.

(Click Here for a review of the 2015 VW Golf R.)

The Civic hatchback is being produced solely at a plant in Swindon, about two hours drive west of London. The factory is currently struggling to meet its rated capacity of 250,000 vehicles a year, so it could use a little help from the American market. An 11% decline in European sales last year contributed to Honda’s loss of $333.4 million in the region in 2014.

The move makes more sense today than it might have just six months ago, meanwhile, thanks to the sharp drop in the value of the Euro. The dollar is currently trading almost 15% higher than it did at the end of 2014, something that makes European imports a lot more affordable.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Honda would like to sell about 30,000 to 40,000 of the 5-doors in the States. That would be a fraction of current Civic sales here – about 325,000 last year, positioning it just behind the ever-popular Honda Accord.

(Honda expands Takata airbag recall campaign…again. Click Here for the latest news.)