With the launch of the 10th-generation Honda Civic out of the way, what’s left is of course the most brutal variant – the Type R. It didn’t take long for Honda to fire some early shots with the unveiling of the Honda Civic Type R Prototype at the Paris Motor Show.
Based on the newly launched Civic hatchback, this Type R will become Honda’s global model. This means this hot hatch with the iconic red Honda badge will be sold in the many countries, including North America for the first time. The car is a joint effort between Honda R&D teams in Europe and Japan and will be built in Swindon, UK.
The Civic Type R prototype sports Herculean muscle styling, with sharp body lines to aid aerodynamic performance. Apart from the unique aluminium-effect finishing, the exterior receives an aggressive bodykit, smoked LED front headlights, winged carbon fibre splitter, oversized wheel arches with 20-inch wheels underneath and an oversized fixed rear wing.
There’s no mention of its powertrain as yet, but it could be slapped with a revised version of the 300hp 2.0-litre turbocharged unit that currently powers the Type R. It’ll also retain its front-wheel drive configuration and will likely be equipped with the good’ old six-speed manual gearbox.
The new Honda hot hatch will be launched by mid-2017, and a visit to Nürburgring is certainly one of its top priorities, we reckon. At launch, this hot Japanese hatch will go directly against the next Renault Mégane RS and the current “creme de la creme” of hot hatches, the Ford Focus RS.
IMAGE GALLERY
