As you already know Honda went all out with the new Civic and it was previewed for the first time at the 2016 Geneva Auto Show. It was extraordinary and groundbreaking, but there was still something missing. The missing thing is the Type R version that has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring, on the streets of Europe, and in the U.S. After all those numerous sightings and spying, Japanese car maker finally announced that the 2018 Civic Type R will be making its way to the 2017 Geneva Motor Show where it will be on display for the general public.
One of the biggest auto shows is going down in March, which is just around the corner, and the all-new Type R will take the spotlight with the Clarity Fuel Cell and a concept that’s christened as NeuV. The company stated “the highlight of Honda’s show presence will be” without a doubt the all-new Honda Type R “which has been engineered to deliver the most rewarding drive in the hot hatch segment.”
Now this one, like its predecessor, didn’t change the drive distribution and it is remaining an FWD hatchback, which means that the Japanese are definitely refusing to get into the Ford’s AWD challenge. Good! One more great piece of info came from Honda, and that is that the Type R will host “Honda’s latest 2.0-liter VTEC Turbo” which is just mind blowing! We, unfortunately, do not have the official numbers regarding the output that the Civic Type R will have, but the latest reports state – 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque as the minimum amount available since those are the figures of the previous generation. More realistically, we could be getting closer to 350 hp, and all that will be mated to a six-speed manual as the only transmission option.
Production of this go-faster hatch is scheduled to start at Honda’s UK Manufacturing facility in Swindon, United Kingdom. This means that the US market will get their Type R as a 2018 MY and from the UK. This little devil of a vehicle will be exported to all four corners of the world, and yes that includes Japan as well. The Civic Type R sales on the US soil are important for one more reason. If you are aware, this will be the first Honda-badged Type R vehicle that will be sold Stateside besides the Acura brand which was the only one who had permission for this.
