Geneva show: Honda's Civic Type R is finally ready

HONDA has revealed that it plans to finally take the covers off a production version of its long-promised Civic Type R hot hatch at the Geneva motor show in March.

It will line up alongside the equally long-awaited NSX, and complement the company’s re-entry into Formula 1 as McLaren’s engine partner.

The Japanese car-maker has taken its time with the fourth-generation Type R, revealing a concept car at the Frankfurt show in 2013, before showing revised versions of the concept again in Geneva and Paris last year.

The media – including GoAuto – were also offered a brief test of the turbocharged hatchback in late 2013.

The fourth-generation Type R – only the third was sold locally – is powered by an all-new 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that, in a first for Honda, is turbocharged. It’s set to produce more than 206kW and 400Nm of torque, driving through the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

It’ll be fitted with a four-stage adaptive damper system as well as a ‘+R’ button that will sharpen key inputs when activated. Honda also alludes to a system known as ‘steer axis’, which suggests that the chassis will be equipped with a torque-vectoring system.

A glimpse of the car in a short promo video also points to the use of LED lamps front and rear, as well as a traditional dash layout as opposed to an LCD-type display.

Sourced from Honda’s Swinburne factory in the UK, Honda Australia would not be drawn on specific timing, other than to suggest that the Type R might touch down before the end of 2015.