Honda Civic Type R Concept world debut
February 28, 2006

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 28, 2006 - At this year's Geneva Auto Salon Honda is displaying a range of vehicles that perfectly encapsulate the company's bold approach to the challenges confronting today's vehicle designers.



The line-up that includes the world-unveiling of the Civic Type R Concept with its promise of fun and exhilarating performance. The quickening progress towards a hydrogen-fuelled future is amply demonstrated by the FCX Concept, a futuristic, stylish, but highly practical fuel cell car that points the way to a potential production model in three to four years' time. Then there is the debut of the European-specification Legend which bristles with innovative technology and raises the bar in terms of all-round safety features. And just to illustrate the company's breadth of expertise and now extensive motorsport heritage is a trio of Formula One machines, from the past to the present.





Civic Type R Concept: dynamic styling, exciting performance
With a level of success way beyond Honda's initial expectations, the Civic Type R which ended production last year proved a smash hit among those seeking the thrills of a sporty, high performance car, yet still delivering a strong dose of practicality, and all at an affordable price.

The bold styling and 200 PS DOHC i-VTEC engine of the Civic Type R Concept provides a clear indication of how the final production car will appear; driving enthusiasts are unlikely to be disappointed.

THE CIVIC TYPE R CONCEPT
The practical nature of the current Civic Type R made it a car for everyday driving, yet one that just as equally delivers instant performance, plus fun handling, on demand. That dual personality thrilled over 35,000 customers, far exceeding initial sales forecasts during its relatively short production run.

Last year Honda announced it is to build a successor, and while the previous model is a tough act to follow, the credentials of the Civic Type R Concept which makes its world debut at Geneva, suggests that the new car will attract a whole new wave of enthusiasts.
Bold and emotional styling is teamed up with a development of the previous Type R's race-proven, high-revving pedigree DOHC i-VTEC engine. 200 PS delivered from a capacity of 2.0 liters without resorting to a turbocharger defined the character of the old model and will equally define the character of its spiritual successor. The promise then is of a performance hatchback that will be as exciting to drive as it will be to look at when it goes on sale at the beginning of 2007.

A new 3-door version of the Civic, which shares DNA with this Type R Concept model, will go on sale in Europe later this year. It makes use of many of the styling themes that have brought such wide praise for the recently introduced Civic 5-door.

Civic Type R and the rest of the Civic 3-door range, will be exclusively built alongside the Civic 5-door range at the Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) plant in Swindon.

 

I wouldnt buy that if they payed me much less paying over $20k for one out of my own pocket. It is hideous far more then words can express and if the production model doesnt drastically change even if entered the US market I wouldnt look twice at one going down the road if it looked like that.

 

well to each their own i suppose, but man i love the looks of that car. i'd buy it if i had some more cash...

 

I absolutely love it. I wouldnt get yellow though.

 

Looks cooler than the current NA SI coupe...

 

Only one thing though: the vehicle screams "rice boy" a bit too much for my good taste. I prefer the cleaner look of the 2006 Civic Si coupé.

Besides, the Type-R hatchback probably uses the same K20Z3 engine as the Civic Si, so performance will probably be almost the same, too.

 

yea id pick the 06 Si coupe over that piece of metal.

 

the next civic hatchback? in the us??

 

No this Civic Hatchback will be produced and sold only in the UK.
Sales of the last Civic Hatchback were poor in the US so we don't get the new one.

 

Front looks excellent. The back is ugly. Reminds me of the Proton Savvy. The side profile looks like it has been fitted with oversized tyres.

 

I know that here in the US we are supposed to be getting a new CRX. Auto magazines have suggested that maybe our CRX will be related to the civic sold in Europe. Personally, I like it. I wouldn't be surprised if that was our new CRX.

 

Exactly where does it say that a new CRX is coming?

 

http://www.vtec.net/modelmatrix/

 

If you take away the front 1/4 of the car and a little of the back the profile looks quite a bit like a first gen Scirocco. Never noticed that before.

 

welcome to THE FUTURE! </futurama voice>

 

There was an article in an autoweek, I believe sometime in December, about the Fit. Next to that article, a blurb mentioned the return of the CRX, with a possibility of it being related to the current european civic.

 

This article is on the execs' opinions on alternative vehicles and what's selling. Mention of the Fit is way down near the end, including a comment from Colliver that they should have brought it to NA sooner! If you want to jump to that section, use "Edit" and "Find" (plug in Fit).

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...nda-usat_x.htm

 

It was just pointed out to me by a dealer friend that this little "bitch" and her exsisting bastard five door civic brother are the reason the Japanese factory that make the NA Fit is cutting production.... The EU civic sales are displacing NA Fit production

 

Highly unlikely.

 

Honda did say the European Civic Type-R will use a 200 ps engine--that tells me they're using the K20Z3, the same powerplant found on the US-market Civic Si coupé.

Mind you, there are rumors of a Type RR with a 2.4-liter K-series engine rated at 240 ps....