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U.S. Honda fans won’t be driving fabled Civic Type-R anytime soon

Our # 1 read Honda article for 2015 is in review of a car that may never reach North America shores. European Type-R? forgettaboutit!
Civic_Type-R

Before anything else, this automotive review jockey is a Honda performance fan. Nothing like a performance Honda hatchback to get the heart pounding. It’s that damn near out of control feeling that only a performance front wheel drive car can provide. I want to drive a next generation Civic Type-R as much as the next hot-foot.

A glimpse of a Honda turbocharged future

Last week we had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of Honda’s first Earth Dreams ™ turbo powered Civic. Although the 2016 Civic Touring Edition is not an Si or the legendary Type-R of European fame, it does provide the driver with a sense of Honda turbo power to come.

While attending the national press roll-out of Honda’s next big seller, Type-R was once again referred to as coming soon. Estimated time of arrival remains undisclosed.

A handful of facts

What we do know is that the the Civic Type-R destined for North America markets is not based on the current European Type-R platform. The 2016-2017 Civic Type-R hatchback will be powered with an American manufactured 2.0 Liter Earth Dreams Turbo gasoline engine, and based on Honda’s designed in Torrance, California, World-Compact-Platform.

Civic Coupe, Si, hatchback and Type-R coming soon

We’ve had a look at the 2016 Honda Civic Sedan. Wider longer and lower in dimension, the near future Type-R will share chassis design and several components with the soon to be released Civic Sedan. That’s where the similarity will end.

The rumor mill has a turbocharged 300+ horsepower Ford and Subaru killer roaming the streets of North America. Assuming that the near future domestic rendition of the made in Surrey, England Type-R retains some or all of the Civic Concept design cues, it’s sure to be a winner in the FWD performance compact car class.

A final thought or two

According to our Honda connections, we anticipate the arrival of the Civic Coupe and Si late in 2015. The built in England hatchback should cross the pond Q2 2016, with a Civic Type-R variant following in Q3, or Q4 2016 as a 2017 model.

Looking to the competition, we anticipate the Civic Type-R’s MSRP to come in a bit below $40,000 U.S., if in-fact the Type-R is to be produced and sold in any numbers. Can’t wait to drive one!

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