Honda fires up Civic Type R line

ALMOST two years since Honda first detailed its Civic Type R, the flagship of the Japanese car-maker's small hatchback range is finally rolling off United Kingdom production lines.

To highlight the vehicle's British origins, the first three examples were patriotically painted red, white and blue, and moved for the first time under their own steam before a gathering of hundreds of local Honda staff.

The UK site in Swindon is a major manufacturing facility for Honda and will be the main production hub for the five-door Civic. Speaking at the milestone event, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) managing director Soichiro Takizawa thanked his team and explained its significance.

“The new Civic Type R is an imperative model for Honda, representing our racing spirit and demonstrating our commitment to innovation and passion,” he said.

“We are extremely proud to be the only manufacturer of the Civic Type R in the world. Our high standards have earned us this privilege and this is testament to the continued commitment of our Associates.”

Honda says the new Type R is a “race car for the road” and will be the “most extreme and high-performing” car to wear the esteemed red R badge.

Power comes from a highly-strung 2.0-litre four-cylinder VTEC engine – the first turbocharged unit for a Type R, producing a hearty 228kW and 400Nm of torque.

Accelerating from zero to 100km/h takes a swift 5.6 seconds and with a top speed of 270km/h the hot-hatch is the fastest Honda to wear the Civic badge.

Despite the model now officially going into production, Honda has still not confirmed if the Civic Type R will go on sale in hot-hatch hungry Australia.

If it is to come Down Under, supply constraints caused by the sole production facility could delay its arrival by as much as another two years, by which time the tenth-generation Civic and Type R version will be nearing production.

That overlap could spell trouble for the latest version and, if Honda global brings the hammer down, the ninth-generation may never make it here.