Honda will not abandon its heritage in the hot hatch segment. So it decided to show us the new generation of the Civic Type R, even if the new model was also unveiled on the same occasion: the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
As you might have guessed, the new Civic Type R Prototype offers an insight into the styling of the next-generation Civic Type R which will be officially unveiled in 2017.
Based on the new Civic hatchback, the Type R Prototype is enhanced by muscular body styling and modifications to aid aerodynamic performance. The exterior is clothed in a highly reflective, finely-grained brushed aluminium-effect finish unique to the show car.
At the front, the aggressive bumper is accentuated with a winged carbon fibre splitter and sporty red accent line. Additional slatted ducts add width to the bumper, and diamond-mesh inserts fill the sculpted air intakes.
Honda’s famous red ‘H’ badge, which can be found on all Type R models, sits above a new air vent at the nose of the car. There is also a new intake on the bonnet, with an air scoop sited centrally in a trapezoidal recess. Smoked lenses for the LED headlights, indicators and side repeaters reflect the Type R Prototype’s more aggressive character.
Carbon fibre side skirts run the length of the wheelbase, between 20-inch piano black alloy wheels with red accents and 245-section high-performance tyres. Enlarged arches accommodate the new wheels.
A carbon fibre diffuser runs below the wider rear bumper, which frames three fully-functional tailpipes with a pair of directional strakes at each side. The central tailpipe is of a smaller diameter and is highlighted in bright metallic red.
The next-generation Civic Type R was engineered within the same development programme as the other members of the Civic family, and will be officially unveiled in production form next year. It will be produced at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) in Swindon, the global manufacturing hub for the five-door hatchback, with sales expected to begin in Europe during the second half of 2017.
The Type R will be exported to markets around the world, including the US. This will mark the first time that any Honda-badged Type R has been officially sold in North America.
