The hot hatch market just got a new competitor with the debut of Honda's Civic Type-R.
The Honda news conference at this year’s Paris Motor Show is supposed to be all about the next-generation Civic Hatchback. But it doesn’t take a trained eye to notice another Civic spin-off sharing the stand.
Officially, that Civic Type-R is just a concept vehicle. But expect to see only some modest changes when the compact rocket rolls into showrooms next year, completing the launch of the broadest line-up of Civic variants in Honda history.
The Japanese maker isn’t saying much about the new Type-R beyond noting that it will be based off the same global platform as the rest of the ninth-generation Civic line-up. The current version rides a platform used in Europe but not the United States.
In fact, not only is the platform not American, the Type R itself has never been sold in the U.S.
In concept form, the new Civic Type-R is longer and wider than the existing model, in keeping with the rest of the gen-9 line-up. The pocket rocket adopts a modified version of the new Civic hatchback body, but gets a number of unique touches, notably to enhance ground effects.
The outgoing Type-R produces 306 horsepower, but expect the new model to be around 340 hp, according to experts.
Cats-eye lamps that appear to be LEDs frame a narrow, blacked-out grille with a bold Honda logo in the center. Oversized air intakes sit between the bumper and chin spoiler.
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In back, it features a moderately high rear wing and center-mounted twin exhaust pipes.
A closer look at the wheels, meanwhile, reveal oversized Brembo brakes in the Italian supplier’s trademark red hue.
What’s under the hood? Honda isn’t talking, but nudging a few sources we’re expecting that the current, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four will be replaced by a newer engine developed as part of Honda’s Earth Dreams powertrain program.
The outgoing Civic Type-R makes an impressive 306 horsepower in European trim. We’re confident the next-gen R will beat that number handily. Some sources are suggesting we’ll see a figure of around 340 hp.
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The new Type-R is expected to hit U.S. shores sometime next year, marking its first-ever appearance in America.
The new four-banger will be paired with a six-speed manual. Unclear is whether some type of automatic will also be in the mix. Expect power to continue to go to the front wheels, unlike Ford’s approach with the latest-generation RS.
That could shake up the world order, as it were, considering the current Type-R holds a world record for a front-drive model running laps around the Nurburgring.
Honda’s new muscle car has been anxiously awaited, but we won’t see it reach U.S. showrooms until early next year. And it will be facing some tough competition when it does roll out, including the Focus RS, as well as the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport S.
Incidentally, the new Civic Type-R will be imported from the U.K., even though the rest of the Civic family will now roll off assembly lines in the U.S.
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We’ll have to wait until closer to the on-sale date for pricing, but expect it to come in somewhere in the mid- to high-$30,000 range.