PARIS MOTOR SHOW: New Honda Civic Type-R muscles up

When the stove-hot Mk10 Honda Civic Type-R launches in Australia in September 2017, it'll have more power, better handling and hopefully more bark to match its bigger bite.

Powered by a modified version of the current Civic Type-R's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, a lusty 228kW unit, the hot new Honda made its global premiere at the 2016 Paris motor show yesterday.

Finished in a dazzling metallic wrap that drew the wrath of security for anyone foolhardy enough to touch it (which meant we couldn't peek inside), the striking Civic sits on large 20-inch alloy wheels and features much of the beefy aero body work of its predecessor.

That means flared wheel-arches and a wider track, lots of venting including a new bonnet scoop and, of course, what would any Type-R Civic be without a wild rear wing?

Honda's Civic Type-R 'Prototype' unveiled in Paris is technically a concept car, but company sources say it's around 95 per cent production-ready.

Replace the carbon ground effects with plastic bits, swap out dramatic triple end cans at the rear for something less exotic and you're looking at what is shaping up to be a red-blooded apex predator.

Making use of the current Mk9 Civic Type R's banzai 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-banger -- a 7000rpm, 228kW, 400Nm rip-snorter -- the new model gets more herbs and spices, expected to go close to 250kW and 440Nm.

And Honda Australia reckons it’ll pack enough heat to take on the Ford Focus RS. By extension that could even give it the cojones throw a punch or two at the Mercedes-AMG A 45 and Audi RS 3.

The extra mumbo should elevate the new car's 0-100km/h acceleration time to around 5.5 seconds, compared to the current car's 5.7-second sprint.

Top speed? Expect it to rise to 280km/h, up from 270km/h.

Honda Motor France spokesman Fabrice Esteve said it was "a bit early" to talk about power figures because "the engine is still under development – it's still [undergoing] testing".

Honda is desperate to reclaim the crown of the fastest front-drive car around the Nurburgring, and the company has been spotted testing the car – and clearly continuing to massage the high-revving engine – at the famous German road course.

"The only thing I can tell you is that the power unit is rather an evolution of the current engine, which as you know is a 2.0-litre turbo.

"Most probably it will be a more refined version of the current engine. So more powerful with a little bit of torque in addition. But we cannot disclose the final figures," said Esteve.

Throw in big Brembo brakes, larger 20-inch alloy wheels with super-sticky rubber, a savvy front differential to improve power delivery in corners and possibly a few other adaptive chassis tricks and it's clear Honda doesn't just want a Civic hero car – it wants to reset the hot hatch benchmark.

And the best bit? This hard-charging hottie is coming to Australia.

Granted, it’s only been just over a year since Honda's most recent Civic Type-R burst onto the scene in Europe, a car that will never be offered locally, but because the new vehicle is a global model it'll be sold across Europe, USA and Asia, including Australia.

"The car will be launched around the third quarter of next year, more or less one year from now," said the Honda spokesman, putting the strikingly five-door hottie's launch date at around September 2017.

"The good thing is there will be a very reduced delay between the launch of let's say the regular five-doo, and the new Type-R," he said, conceding the previous Type-R's drawn-out gestation was a concern.

And it was that long development process that ultimately stopped the current Civic Type-R coming to Australia, a market that would have bought plenty of the squat little firecracker. And it is a ripper: We snaffled a drive in the UK recently, so stay tuned for that review.

Unlike the regular 10th-generation Civic, the Type-R will continue to be built at Honda's Swindon factory in the UK and Honda Australia is already chomping at the bit to get early deliveries of the fiery new road warrior.

How much? It could be pricey especially if currency fluctuations arise, potentially not leaving much change from $55,000.

Although Honda may have relinquished the FWD Nurburgring lap record to the blistering Golf GTI Clubsport, which is known as the 30 Years Edition here, it's now clear the new Mk10 Civic Type-R is primed to wrest its crown back from the Germans.

And finally Aussies will get a chance to experience a new-generation turbocharged Civic Type R. Bring it on.