The last pure gasoline car Honda will sell in Europe is inching closer as the next-generation Civic Type R debuts this summer. Meanwhile, a short but sweet teaser video shot in May 2022 at the Nürburgring builds up the hype by showing the hot hatch going at full tilt around the Green Hell. The prototype is still fully camouflaged, but we can still see some juicy details, including the Brembo brake calipers behind the black wheels.
The triple exhaust system à la Ferrari 458 Italia is still there, and so is the massive rear wing making the Civic Type R look substantially more aggressive than its rivals. The red camo can’t hide the beefier wheel arches, revised aero, and upgraded cooling over a regular model. While Honda sells the Si strictly as a sedan, the CTR will be a hatchback-only affair. The two do have something in common as both body styles come exclusively with a manual gearbox.
2023 Honda Civic Type R
Honda has been tight-lipped about the engine, but everyone is expecting a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline unit. There had been some reports about the model going hybrid, and even stepping up to an all-wheel-drive system, but those were unfounded. The engineers have likely tinkered with the four-pot unit to extract a bit more power over the already healthy 306 hp or 316 hp you got in the FK8 depending on region-based emissions regulations. For what it's worth, Honda does vaguely hint at more oomph, saying the next-gen car will be the "most powerful, best performing Civic Type R ever."
The teaser campaign has largely focused on the Nordschleife, which could be Honda’s not-so-subtle way of telling us it’s going after the fastest FWD production car record. A pre-production prototype has already claimed that title at home in Suzuka, so we won’t be too surprised if the CTR will want to become the Lord of the ‘Ring once again.
To do that, it'll have to complete a lap in less than the 7 minutes and 40.1 seconds needed by the (takes deep breath) Renault Megane RS Trophy-R Nürburgring Pack. The French automaker took out the rear seats and made some other radical changes to its hot hatch, so we'll have to wait and see whether its archrival from Japan will be just as extreme.
