The Honda Civic Type R is finally coming to the U.S. But not for a couple years, sadly.
AutoGuide had a roundtable with American Honda Motor Co. Executive Vice President John Mendel where he said that the Civic Type R won’t be a 2016 model. Instead, it’s more likely to be 2017 or even a 2018 model year car, meaning it’s at least two years out.
That’s a bummer, but it’s not surprising. The next Civic will be an all-new global Civic, made and sold all over the world. The turbocharged Type R specifically will be built in England and imported here.
Mendel said that will undoubtedly affect the price of the Type R, but he hopes to sell at least a few thousand a month. Considering the Type R’s fairly limited appeal, that’s probably about the best they can do, but we’re extremely happy to be getting it at all.
Mendel did say that before the Type R launches, the all-new normal Civic will debut later this year with a new 1.5-liter turbo VTEC engine. He says it’s lighter and sportier, marking a return to the fun-to-drive Civics of the past:
“I just read the articles in magazines you guys write that say we’ve lost our way; we’ve lost our sportiness,” he said. “I don’t think we were as sporty in this last generation as we once were.”
In response to demand, Mendel says Honda is, “taking the Civic back in a direction more towards where it started.”
“It’s what you guys have been asking for,” he said.
About damn time.