New 2023 Honda Civic Type R Confirmed for Tokyo Auto Salon, but There's a Catch

That’s right, instead of being fully uncovered at the event hosted in the Land of the Rising Sun between January 14 and 16, 2022, Honda will actually display a pre-production car, wrapped in “a special camouflage, designed exclusively for the Type R.” Moreover, visitors can further delve into its development process with the company’s engineers.

As for the official unveiling date of the all-new front-wheel drive hot hatch, which will take on the likes of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus ST, Renault Megane RS, and Hyundai i30 N, it will take place later next year. The car is set to launch in North America next summer, the automaker has already confirmed, perhaps shortly after making its way to other markets, including Japan and Europe.

Sitting at the top of the latest Honda Civic family, it will set itself apart by featuring a more aggressive design. The bigger bumpers with a wide air intake at the front, a large wing at the back, triple exhaust system incorporated into the four-fin diffuser, exclusive wheel options, and the typical R logos will draw a very clear line between the normal Civic and the Civic Type R.

The model will also sit closer to the asphalt and will have a dedicated suspension setup, with different settings, aimed at making it handle corners faster. Uprated brakes with bigger discs will be on deck too, and so will the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the marque has confirmed, without releasing any specs. Nonetheless, it should be about as punchy as the one used in the current Civic Type R, which has 306 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque in the U.S-spec, or a bit more powerful.