Geneva show: Honda Civic Type R pops early

HONDA’S highly anticipated Civic Type R hot hatch has broken cover on the web on the eve of its world debut at the Geneva motor show this week.

Set for release in Australia next year, the R-rated hatch – shown in Geneva in near-production concept form – remains faithful in the metal to the wild-winged sketch issued by Honda as a teaser last month, showing a radical boy-racer rear end complete with quad exhaust outlets, huge rear diffuser and, of course, that massive double-decker rear wing with built-in tail-lights.

Honda says the concept car provides “the styling direction for the exterior design” of the production version, describing it as a “racing car for the road” with a bold and expressive design that reflects “the strong performance characteristics for which Type R is renowned”.

The jury is still out as to whether the rear wing makes it into production, along with the aggressive bodykit, bonnet ducts, heavy LED lighting (including sharply angled strips at the front end), ultra-high-performance Brembo braking package and huge 20-inch wheels with ultra-low-profile tyres.

Powertrain details are still to emerge, including confirmation of a turbocharged VTEC engine, although a prototype driven by GoAuto in Japan last year packed a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with “more than” 206kW of power and 400Nm of torque.

These figures are 25 per cent and 50 per cent greater than the previous model that was discontinued in 2010.

Honda has said it is engineering the new Type R to be the fastest front-wheel-drive hatch around the Nurburgring, putting manufacturers such as Renault, Volkswagen and Ford on notice.

Add General Motors to that list, too, after preparing a lightweight, 220kW-plus Opel/Vauxhall Astra OPC ‘Extreme’ for the Geneva show – and limited production.