Exterior styling is bold, with sculpted side skirts flaring towards both the front and rear wheels and blended into the wheelarch surrounds. These then flow into the front and rear spoilers to complete the lower body structure, all of which is finished in a gun metal finish.
To give the Type S sharper steering response, improved ride and better cornering stability, the suspension has been tuned, with revised spring and damper settings and a 20mm wider rear track.
Under the bonnet of the 3-door Civic sits either a 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol engine, or Honda's highly-rated 2.2-litre diesel unit. Both engines produce a 103 Kw.
There is a comprehensive passive safety package too and Honda anticipates a Euro NCAP result of 5 stars for front and side impact safety, 3 stars for pedestrian safety and 4 stars for child protection safety.
The 3-door Type S will form the basis of the Civic Type R, which break cover early next year. When the Type R goes on sale it will feature a 147 kW 2-litre engine and it will rival cars such as the Golf GTI.
Honda South Africa told Wheels24 that the Civic Type S is not due for introduction here. However, we expect that the Type R will definitely make its way to local shores.