Honda has announced the Civic Type R is getting a raft of upgrades later this year, all but sending off the current generation ‘FL5’ model before its successor arrives.
In a US media release, Honda said the “Civic Type R will receive updates this year, including exterior and interior styling changes”, though did not include any photos or teasers of the changes.
After the ‘FL’-generation Civic was revealed in 2021, the Type R followed in 2022, meaning it’s currently approaching its fourth anniversary, making it prime for a mid-life update.
Previous generations of Civic Type Rs have typically lasted anywhere from two to seven years on sale, though they’ve traditionally only received minor tweaks if any through their production run.
While the US press release hints at a mid-life update for the FL5 Civic Type R, Honda has also made no secret about its development of performance parts for the hot model, showing off a HRC (Honda Performance Corporation) version of it at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon.
At that show, the HRC parts in development were kept under wraps thanks to a fluorescent camouflage, however exterior changes appeared to include even more aggressive bodywork, including a variation of the carbon-fibre rear wing available in Australia for $5300.
All of this is building towards what might be the end of the Civic Type R as we know it, after Honda engineer Tomoyuki Yamagami told UK publication Auto Express in July last year that the Type R doesn’t need an engine.
“Type R can be anything in future, depending on what the market demands. Type R is not dependent on a turbo powertrain,” Yamagami told the outlet.
“[The] Type R badge is about the ability to enhance dynamic attributes to the max.”
The publication referenced comments made by Honda’s head of EV development, Toshihiro Akiwa, earlier this year, with the executive hinting at an electric future for the Type R.
“A battery and motor have different characteristics so we can’t come up with something exactly the same as before,” Akiwa said in January.
“As an EV, how can we provide the joy of driving? We haven’t given up of course, but it’s not just about power, it’s about the sound, vibration, acceleration and the human experience. These are the joys of driving.”
Given Honda’s recent development of simulated gearshift technology – marketed as S+ Shift – for its hybrids such as the Prelude and upcoming Civic e:HEV RS, it’s possible the next Civic Type R could also go hybrid, which may mean losing its manual transmission.
However, Honda is still the only brand to launch a traditional ‘series’ hybrid powertrain in a manual car, having done so with the CR-Z coupe of the early 2010s.
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