I say “could” because the pictures you see here are leaked images and without any solid indication from the brand itself, we’ll try not to rattle the cage too much.
But it is a heck of an exciting prospect to ponder over. For me at least, the excitement comes from the notion of putting back the “Type R factor” into a compact package.
Tracing back into history, although Honda first slapped the Type R on the NSX, giving it unprecedented levels of performance and drivability, I strongly believe it was the Civic Type R that made Honda’s high-performance arm and its offerings more mainstream.
As the years went, the Civic Type R got more powerful, extremely competent but also fatter. It went from being no bigger than a Perodua Myvi to what is now essentially a C-segment vehicle. Some may have opposed it but fortunately most embraced its evolution.
This then makes the Jazz Type R allegation a really promising one. In the pictures, you’d noticed that aside from the familiar design cues the Jazz Type R shares with the current FK8 Civic Type R (especially the front bumper), it also reveals its performance figures of 220 hp and 245 Nm.
That should be plenty enough for a whole lot of fun in the Jazz as currently, even with a mere 120 hp and 145 Nm power plant, the standard Jazz has proven to offer just enough poke to go with its practicality.
That’s not all. If you look to the right of the second leaked image, you’d also notice a familiar sight but with an unexpected (Type R) signage on it – a fully-electric Honda e wearing the signature Type R colour scheme, tagged with the iconic red Honda badge.
Is Honda for real? This can’t be true, can it? Just yesterday, we posted an article announcing the fully-electric Honda e’s output of 150 hp and 300 Nm which has been kept under wraps ever since Honda revealed the fully-electric, rear-wheel driven hatchback.
Surely they can’t be serious; but if they were and know its followers better, the Honda e Type R could bring back the old, glory days in a package that’s destined for the future. It could also offer a smoother transition for the new generation of enthusiasts into the next generation of high performance vehicles.
And hey, it’ll also be the next best thing to come out of electric mobility, aside from Elon Musk’s comical antics on social media.
