New Honda Civic chief engineer Mitsuru Kariya has confirmed to Autocar a faster ‘Type R style’ car is under development at the Frankfurt motor show.
Honda initially ruled out building a Type R style version of its new Civic, because the company felt it didn’t meet with its mass-market, environmentally led credentials.
However, following President Takanobu Ito's push to renew Honda's sporting credentials – Read Autocar's separate story on the new NSX here – a more hardcore Civic will now be sold. However, it may not carry the Type R name.
“It [the performance version] is already under discussion,” said Kariya. “We know Type R was a big success, especially in the UK market, and we are now looking for a car to be developed in that direction. Whether it will be called Type R is not certain though.”
See pictures of the Honda Civic Type R
The widely revered Civic Type R brand was a huge hit in the UK blending the characteristics of Honda’s genre-defining VTEC engine with sophisticated independent suspension to create an acclaimed hot hatch.
At one point the Type R variant accounted for 15 per cent of Honda’s total Civic sales.
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