Photo: Honda / edited
Type R vehicles have always been low-production affairs. The same applies to the FL5, a five-door performance hatchback that's no longer available to order back home in the Japan.
Honda says the latest and greatest Civic Type R there's ever been has received more orders than initially anticipated, therefore surpassing the Yorii plant's capacity. The automaker further reveals that the virus that kept us locked in our homes for the better parts of 2020 and 2021 remains a big problem.
Although the worst of the semiconductor crisis is behind us, the chip shortage hasn't gone away for good. Honda also makes a case for supply chain-related issues and logistic delays.
These factors make it extremely difficult for Honda to forecast how many Civic Type R vehicles will be made for the 2023 model year, therefore choosing to close the order books for the time being. Orders will be resumed in the Japanese market at an unknown date, possibly in late summer or early fall.
It's worth remembering that Honda stopped accepting orders for the FL5 in the Land of the Rising Sun in January 2023 as well, back when the Civic Type R used to retail at 4,997,300 yen or 38,915 freedom eagles. The starting price hasn't changed since then, but the yen-dollar exchange rate did.
Today's exchange rate puts the Japanese version at $35,220 from the outset as opposed to $43,795 for the American equivalent. Other than pricing and the steering wheel's location, the JDM and USDM versions also differ in regard to peak horsepower and pound-feet of torque. Over in Japan, the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump develops 330 ps and 420 Nm or 325 horsepower and 310 pound-feet. As for the American market, prospective customers should look forward to 10 fewer ponies and the very same peak torque rating.
Besting the FK8 was a hard task for Honda's engineers, but in every measurable way, the peeps behind the FL5 did exactly that. Coming with a six-speed manual exclusively – just like its predecessor – the 2023 model holds the lap records at Suzuka and the Nurburgring for series-production FWD vehicles.
Much cleaner in exterior design than the FK8, the FL5 also spawned the Acura Integra Type S. In essence, the Acura-branded sibling is nothing more than a slightly pricier, more powerful, and more luxurious take on the Civic Type R.
Both of them feature the K20C1 engine introduced by the FK2 back in 2015, with said powerplant manufactured in the United States. The six-speed manual gearbox is made in Japan.
It should be noted that Honda will soon reveal a lighter Civic Type R, confirmed to be named Civic Type R S. Described as a Europe-only product, the newcomer lacks a few vital items. The items in question are the satellite navigation system, parking sensors, electrically folding mechanism for the side mirrors, and air conditioning system. Honda didn't clarify whether the Civic Type R S would be sold in the US or not.
Although the worst of the semiconductor crisis is behind us, the chip shortage hasn't gone away for good. Honda also makes a case for supply chain-related issues and logistic delays.
These factors make it extremely difficult for Honda to forecast how many Civic Type R vehicles will be made for the 2023 model year, therefore choosing to close the order books for the time being. Orders will be resumed in the Japanese market at an unknown date, possibly in late summer or early fall.
It's worth remembering that Honda stopped accepting orders for the FL5 in the Land of the Rising Sun in January 2023 as well, back when the Civic Type R used to retail at 4,997,300 yen or 38,915 freedom eagles. The starting price hasn't changed since then, but the yen-dollar exchange rate did.
Today's exchange rate puts the Japanese version at $35,220 from the outset as opposed to $43,795 for the American equivalent. Other than pricing and the steering wheel's location, the JDM and USDM versions also differ in regard to peak horsepower and pound-feet of torque. Over in Japan, the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump develops 330 ps and 420 Nm or 325 horsepower and 310 pound-feet. As for the American market, prospective customers should look forward to 10 fewer ponies and the very same peak torque rating.
Besting the FK8 was a hard task for Honda's engineers, but in every measurable way, the peeps behind the FL5 did exactly that. Coming with a six-speed manual exclusively – just like its predecessor – the 2023 model holds the lap records at Suzuka and the Nurburgring for series-production FWD vehicles.
Much cleaner in exterior design than the FK8, the FL5 also spawned the Acura Integra Type S. In essence, the Acura-branded sibling is nothing more than a slightly pricier, more powerful, and more luxurious take on the Civic Type R.
Both of them feature the K20C1 engine introduced by the FK2 back in 2015, with said powerplant manufactured in the United States. The six-speed manual gearbox is made in Japan.
It should be noted that Honda will soon reveal a lighter Civic Type R, confirmed to be named Civic Type R S. Described as a Europe-only product, the newcomer lacks a few vital items. The items in question are the satellite navigation system, parking sensors, electrically folding mechanism for the side mirrors, and air conditioning system. Honda didn't clarify whether the Civic Type R S would be sold in the US or not.
Google News