Photo: Honda
The Civic Type R joins a long list of future performance cars rumored to evolve into ultra-powerful hybrids. It sounds far fetched, but give this story a little time, and it starts to make sense.
Autocar magazine's report ties this epic rumor of a 400+ horsepower Civic Type R with the future of the Civic as a whole. After Brexit, Honda is leaving the Swindon factory where the civic has been made for several generations.
This is sad news for thousands of workers but doesn't spell the end for the hatchback, which may have been the case were it not for its recent introduction to the American market. You see, the Civic 5-door is not a top contender in the sales race against the Opel Astra or Peugeot 308, but it's doing sufficiently well there.
Thus, a brand new generation is said to come out in 2021 or so, which would be a little under five years after the Mk X came out. However, the Mk IX had an equally short run.
It seems Honda wants to hybridize the European model range to give it its own identity. By 2025, all of its cars are supposed to go down that route, starting with the recently launched CR-V Hybrid, and that technology could also affect the Type R.
Precise details are obviously not available, but the Japanese automaker is nothing if not ambitious. A few years ago, nobody could have imagined they would produce a turbocharged 2-liter engine or the fastest FWD car in the world.
We've often argued that hatchbacks are the sports cars of today. Nobody wants to see a pretentious Porsche drag racing but put a Golf R against the Megane RS, and you'll start a frenzied discussion.
What's more, hybrid sports tech is readily available at Honda HQ. For example, we have the system in the NSX, as well as some other multi-motor Acura models.
This is sad news for thousands of workers but doesn't spell the end for the hatchback, which may have been the case were it not for its recent introduction to the American market. You see, the Civic 5-door is not a top contender in the sales race against the Opel Astra or Peugeot 308, but it's doing sufficiently well there.
Thus, a brand new generation is said to come out in 2021 or so, which would be a little under five years after the Mk X came out. However, the Mk IX had an equally short run.
It seems Honda wants to hybridize the European model range to give it its own identity. By 2025, all of its cars are supposed to go down that route, starting with the recently launched CR-V Hybrid, and that technology could also affect the Type R.
Precise details are obviously not available, but the Japanese automaker is nothing if not ambitious. A few years ago, nobody could have imagined they would produce a turbocharged 2-liter engine or the fastest FWD car in the world.
We've often argued that hatchbacks are the sports cars of today. Nobody wants to see a pretentious Porsche drag racing but put a Golf R against the Megane RS, and you'll start a frenzied discussion.
What's more, hybrid sports tech is readily available at Honda HQ. For example, we have the system in the NSX, as well as some other multi-motor Acura models.
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