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New Honda Civic Type R debuts at Geneva

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<B>TYPE R... BOOM!</B> Honda revealed its next-gen Civic Type R at the Geneva Motor Show. <I>Image: NewsPress</I>
<B>TYPE R... BOOM!</B> Honda revealed its next-gen Civic Type R at the Geneva Motor Show. <I>Image: NewsPress</I>

Cape Town - Honda has revealed its new Civic Type R at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.

Sharing the same fundamentals as the new Civic hatchback, Honda says the Type R has been engineered from the ground up “to deliver the most rewarding drive in the hot-hatch segment - both on road and on the race track”.

The Type R will be exported to Europe and other markets around the world. Honda South Africa says that it "can’t confirm if or when the Type R will arrive in SA".

Improvements all round

The 2.0-litre VTEC turbo engine of the previous generation Type R has been carried over and tuned to produce 235kW while torque remains unchanged at 400Nm.

The short-throw six-speed manual has also been retained.

GALLERY: All-new Honda Civic Type R

Honda says the new Type R takes the lighter body shell of the new Civic hatchback and adds further use of adhesive in key areas. Compared to the previous Type R, torsional rigidity has been "improved by 38%".

READ: Is the Honda Civic Type R the perfect car for enthusiasts?

The front Macpherson strut suspension of the standard hatchback is revised, while at the rear, the new independent multi-link system of the standard car has been tinkered with.

A selection of driving modes are now also on offer. A new ‘Comfort’ setting sits alongside agile ‘Sport’ and track-focused ‘+R’ modes. Honda says each selection tailors the adaptive dampers, steering force, gear shift feeling and throttle response of the car.

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The all-new Type R has a more, says Honda, “comprehensive aerodynamic package” than the previous model, including a smoother underbody, front air curtain, a lightweight rear wing and vortex generators at the trailing edge of the roof line.

Honda underlines that the car’s body has a “best-in-class balance between lift and drag”, contributing to greater high speed stability.

HOT HATCH SHOWDOWN: GTI Clubsport vs. Civic Type R vs. Focus RS

Production of the new Civic Type R is anticipated to start at Honda’s manufacturing plant in Swindon, UK, later in 2017.

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