MIMS: Type R Honda confirmed

Honda Australia used MIMS to announce the imminent arrival of its hottest-ever hatch, the UK-built Civic Type R.

Unchanged from its European/UK spec, the Type R will arrive boasting 148kW from its high-revving 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine. The three-door hatch gets unique body styling and the car rolls on wide 18-inch alloys and low-profile rubber.

Just launched in the UK, the Type R is already on its way to being a sell-out success.

According to Honda Australia boss Lindsay Smalley, the car will be "highly competitively priced" when it arrives Down Under in August.

Quizzed on whether the car's UK origins would hamper it in terms of price, Smalley said: "Obviously we're five months away from launch and we will fill in the full spec and price at the time, but we understand the demands of the market and we're confident [Type R] will demonstrate Honda's sensational value for money."

When pushed Smalley indicated the car would be priced "in the high $30,000s to low $40,000s."

Only a limited number of Type Rs will be available -- though not as limited a quantity as we suggested last month. At this stage around 800 units will be available in the first 12 months.

ADR compliance was gained for the car just this week, although the decision to import the car was made back in August 2006.

Alas the arrival of the Type R does not indicate that a non-performance hatch variant of the Civic is around the corner. Smalley said Honda would like to add a three-door to its Civic range but that it was unlikely to happen until the vehicle could be sourced out of either Thailand or Japan.

All Civic hatches are currently built alongside the Type R at Honda's Swindon plant in Wiltshire in the UK.

With slightly greener credentials than the Type R, Honda's other show star was the FCX Concept hydrogen-powered fuel cell car.

The FCX is unique in that its Home Energy Station bypasses the need for a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. The set-up allows drivers of fuel-cell vehicles to refuel at home and the Home Energy Station not only converts the home's existing natural gas supply into hydrogen, it also supplies heat and electricity for domestic use.

Honda plans to begin limited sales of a totally new fuel cell vehicle based on the FCX Concept model in Japan and the US next year. No news on when such a vehicle is likely to come Down Under.

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