The European-spec 3-door Honda Civic Type R is set to be imported into Japan to satisfy growing demand for a hatchback version of the fast Civic.
The Japanese market only has the 4-door saloon Civic Type R to choose from, and demand for a hatchback has grown to such a point that Honda have taken the decision to import European-spec cars, built at Honda’s Swindon factory. The model will be called the Type R EURO so that it doesn’t get confused with the saloon model, although I’d have thought a quick glance at the two cars would make it easy to tell them apart.
And seeing as we’re in a sharing mood, how about sharing the 225bhp engine found in the saloon Civic and putting it into our 198bhp hatchback?
Source: Honda Press Release
The model will be called the Type R EURO, to distinguish it from the Japanese-market 4-door Civic Type R saloon, and will be sold in limited numbers.
Japan is the third country outside Europe to import this high-revving hot hatch with the red ‘H’ badge, following Australia and South Africa. The demand for the European-produced car in Honda’s domestic market is testament to the dedication and skill of Associates at Honda’s largest European factory – the only production facility in the world that builds the Civic Type R 3-door.
Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) also builds the 5-door Civic, Civic Type S and CR-V for Europe and will start production of the Jazz, this Autumn.
Japan also imported the previous Swindon-built Civic Type-R (EP3 model) in 2001.
