Honda to Bring Civic Type R Down Under

**Mikeyas** · 02-03-2007 03:10 PM

2 March 2007

Honda Australia has announced at the Melbourne Motor Show that the high-revving Civic Type R hot hatch will be sold in Australia from the middle of this year.

The “Red-H”-badged three-door hatchback has a 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine with a peak output of 148kW at a dizzying 7800 rpm paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Completing the package, 18-inch alloy wheels ride on low profile “licorice strap” 225/40 tyres.

In keeping with the "Raw-fined" motto of the designers, the Civic Type R matches its blistering on-street credentials with a host of luxury and safety features normally seen in sensible sedans.

Honda Australia Managing Director Toshio Iwamoto said "It is wonderful to bring such a sought after and sporty car to Australia."

"I'm sure all motoring enthusiasts will be impressed with the performance, handling and luxury of the Civic Type R."

"It's the hottest Civic we have ever launched here."

Built at Honda's Swindon plant in Wiltshire, the Civic Type R is a cult car in the UK, with its massive popularity ensuring over 500 customer orders – or 10% of the entire year's sales run – before the official British launch date of March 1st.

Price, full specifications and further details of the Australian version of the Civic Type R will be released closer to the on-sale date.

http://www.honda.com.au/wps/wcm/conn...e+R+Down+Under

Honda is going after the Volkswagen Golf GTI's hot-hatch crown with its Civic Type-R, due for launch mid-year.

The Type-R, unveiled at the Melbourne motor show, has established a reputation for high-revving performance in the UK and is the spiritual successor to the Integra Type-R discontinued here in 2004.

In the UK, the Civic Type-R is priced below its main rivals, but Honda doesn't expect to maintain that advantage in Australia. Early indications are it will wear a circa-$40K price-tag.

Honda Australia spokesperson Mark Higgins would not be more specific: "The Civic Type-R will adhere to Honda's reputation for competitive pricing and offer extraordinary value for money."

The Type-R is based on the European Civic hatch that is a radical styling departure from the Civic sedan launched in Australia last year.

The futuristic-looking Type-R, with its wraparound-effect front and rear lights, takes a different engine-performance route to the key rivals it will face in Australia.

While the Golf GTI, Ford Focus XR5 Turbo, HSV VXR, RenaultSport Megane and Mazda 3 MPS all combine turbochargers with their four-cylinders, the Honda hot-hatch's naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four embraces high revs with a 7800rpm redline.

Honda has denied suggestions it would dumb down the Civic Type-R for Australia like it did with the Integra Type-R, which was criticised for having less power and torque than the Japanese-spec Type-R (because Australia then didn't have sufficient supplies of 98-octane fuel), and the local version also wore smaller tyres.

"What you see in the UK you will see here," says Higgins. "This will not be an 'Aussie special'."

Honda Australia is still finalising equipment levels, but we can expect something similar to the British version that is built in Swindon.

This means 148kW of power - one kilowatt more than the GTI but significantly less than the 191kW Mazda 3 MPS. Honda claims the Type-R sprints from zero to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds.

There are also 18-inch, seven-spoke alloy wheels, large brakes, and active and passive-safety features including stability control, anti-lock braking, electronic brakeforce distribution, electronic brake assist should also be included.

The Type-R's interior matches the space-age aesthetics of its exterior. The steering wheel is near-identical to the Civic sedan's, but otherwise the dash and instrument layouts are sure to appeal to extroverted hot-hatch buyers.

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Mi...8&MiniSiteID=4