2017 Honda Civic Type R in Australia

Photos of the all-new hot and spicy Honda Civic Type R have been snapped on Australian roads.

Racking up local kilometres on a foggy Melbourne freeway, the images were taken by a motoring.com.au contributor. The car has been confirmed as a pre-production engineering car and suggests that Honda Australia is committed to getting the Civic Type R right for the local market.

It shows off a wild rear wing, triple exhaust outlets, large 19-inch alloy wheels and tubby wide body kit.

Boasting a stiffer chassis, a more potent 2.0-litre turbocharged VTEC four-cylinder engine (235kW/400Nm), new rear suspension and a striking new look, the Civic Type R will arrive Down Under early in the fourth quarter of 2017 according to Neil McDonald, Group Public Relations Manager at Honda Australia.

That means an October arrival for the extreme hatchback, for which the order books will open at the end of May 2017, before an official price is given.

Honda is targeting the $50,000 mark but it could go higher if currency fluctuations occur or the company wants to max out features and options.

Sourced from Honda's UK factory in Swindon, McDonald said there is "a lot of pent-up demand" for the Civic Type R, which was last sold in Australia in early 2012 with a naturally-aspirated 8000rpm screamer of an engine.

"There's a lot of organic interest in this car," he observed.

The Honda Australia PR boss told motoring.com.au the "engineering car will be shown to Honda dealers and to update their technical staff."

We requested a drive. He said no.

The previous (ninth-generation) Civic Type R was never offered in Australia, which is a crying shame considering how potent it was.

We tested that vehicle, the first turbo VTEC Civic Type R ever made, in the UK last year and rated it 81/100.

The new 10th-generation Type R is even more fiery, with more power and advanced suspension. It's also now the Nurburgring lap record holder for a front-drive vehicle, with a 7:43 lap time.

It will be offered exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission and will make use of a limited-slip front differential to improve mid-corner traction. Recaro bucket seats up front, lots of red highlights and a few cool tech toys are likely to be part of the Australia specification levels too.

With its price of around $50,000 the Honda Civic Type R will go head-to-head with the likes of the Ford Focus RS, Volkswagen Golf R, next-generation Renault Megane RS and top-spec versions of the all-new Hyundai i30 N.