Honda resisted the electrification trend with the latest Civic Type R which kept its pure-ICE powertrain as the last non-electrified offering in its European range. At some point though, EVs will be inevitable, and thankfully the legacy of the Type R will continue.
Hideki Kakinuma, lead engineer for the Type R project made it clear that the performance-focused branch is very important for the Japanese brand by saying: “Without Type R, there is no Honda“.
Kakinuma admitted that carbon neutrality and stringent emissions regulations make it “very difficult to think about such a sports model in these boundaries”. But he continued saying that for Honda, those hurdles are “new challenges to provide our customers the joy of driving” adding “Yes, we will definitely be keen to bring further Type Rs”.
Read: 2023 Honda Civic Type R Does 1/4 Mile In 13.9 Sec In First Tests, Slower Than 2021 Limited Edition
Several iconic lines of performance-focused offerings have been discontinued in the past few years including the Ford RS, the Peugeot GTI, and the RenaultSport. Honda assures us this won’t be the case with the Type R program, following the example of VW that will continue with the GTI and R models. However, while VW R will go EV-only by 2030, Honda is taking a more open-minded approach.
As reported by Autocar, Kakinuma said: “Carbon neutrality doesn’t have to be focused on the powertrain itself. It can have the possibility of achieving it even though you are driving a car with an ICE. So I would not reject the possibility that the next Type R can be ICE. However, given the current circumstances, this is very unlikely”. The chief engineer continued: “But the Type R itself does not depend on the powertrain. It’s a certain philosophy, a principle of the joy of driving, and that involves a lot of aspects… If this excitement can be provided with a certain powertrain that is carbon neutral or somewhat electrified – or a completely different technology – this will also be justifiably a Type R.”
Reading between the lines, Honda might be testing different “carbon-neutral” options for the future of the Type R, but it is too early for the automaker to reveal more information about it. Judging from previous comments by Honda officials about the compatibility of the current Civic Type R’s architecture with a plug-in hybrid setup, we guess that the next Type R won’t be fully electric. In any case, if Honda wants to sell Type R models in Europe, they have to use zero-emission powertrains by 2035 when the new regulations will be applied.
