Some people think it could be a cruel April Fools joke but it appears that Honda is still listening to enthusiasts or at the very least watching what Ford is doing. Today Honda released their tenth generation Civic concept (which IMO doesn’t look too far off from a production model) and promised a North American Type R model at the New York International Auto Show.
Many Honda fans have been waiting for this day. The last Type R Honda to appear on US soil was the Integra Type R in 2001. For 14 years they have been waiting for the second coming while other markets (Japan and Europe) continued to enjoy high-strung finely-tuned versions of Honda’s economy cars.
Today Honda unveiled its ultra-sporty Civic Concept at the New York International Auto Show as the brand prepares to launch its completely reimagined 10th-Generation Civic models beginning this fall. With a sharper focus on spirited performance and class-leading versatility, the new Civic lineup will include Civic Sedan, Coupe and Si models along with the return of the Civic hatchback, followed by the launch of a new Civic Type-R as the performance flagship of the Civic lineup. The new Civic also will be the first U.S. model to apply new VTEC® Turbo engines from the company’s Earth Dreams Technology™ powertrain series.
“The new Civic will be, flat out, the most dynamic, the most technologically advanced and the most refined and stylish Civic we’ve ever made,” said John Mendel, executive vice president, Automobile Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “In every way, this will be an epic Civic.”
-HondaNews.com
It was May of 2014 that Honda took a development model of their Euro-spec Type R to the Nürburgring. It beat the record for the fastest production FWD car in existence (along with posting a faster time than many other modern RWD and AWD production cars).
From reading comments on other major automotive news websites it appears that Honda has hit a home run in terms of styling.
Watch the full unveiling below:
And here’s some more B-roll of the car to get you excited:
To say that I’m excited is an understatement. After watching the Ford Focus RS reveal this year I was seriously considering going that route for my future daily driver. Today I’m willing to wait a year or two to see what Honda has in store for us. Hopefully this is the start of what could be an exciting time for Honda!
Source: HondaNews.com