The New Honda Civic Type-R Will Be 300+ HP Of Trouble For Ford And VW

7 years, 8 months ago - 17 February 2017, Carbuzz

With less than three weeks to go until the Geneva Motor Show, the pre-reveals keep on coming.

This week alone we've had the exciting reveals of the Pagani Huayra Roadster and the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Now it's Honda's turn – the Japanese manufacturer has announced that we can expect to see the all-new Honda Civic Type-R make its world debut at Geneva. And for the first time ever, the next-gen Civic Type-R will be sold in the US.

Following the debut of the Civic Type-R Concept last year in Paris, Honda's new hot hatch will be developed in parallel with the standard Civic. Honda isn't revealing any specs for now, but it confirmed that the new Type-R will be powered by the manufacturer's latest 2.0-liter VTEC turbo gasoline engine to take on the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS. However, an interview with the Civic's head engineer from last year's Paris show suggested to us that the new Type-R will still be FWD and will pack less power than the Focus RS, churning out around 325-hp compared to the previous Type-R's 306-hp. Even so, that would make it Honda's hottest hatch yet.

Production of the new Civic Type R will start this summer at Honda's UK-based manufacturing site, and it will be exported to Europe, Japan and the US, marking the first time a Honda-badged Type-R has ever been sold in North America. The new Type-R won't be the only attraction from Honda at this year's Geneva, however. The automaker will also bring its NeuV EV concept car to the show, marking its first appearance in Europe after its debut at CES in Las Vegas this year. If you don't remember the NeuV, it's a quirky concept with artificial intelligence that can read your emotions to give choices and recommendations. It can also serve as an automated ride-sharing vehicle.

Also on display will be Honda's Clarity Fuel Cell following the arrival of the first batch of cars in Europe late last year, which is being branded as the "world's most advanced fuel cell vehicle" with a maximum range of 385 miles. We'll be on hand at Geneva in a few weeks' time, so stay tuned for more details.