2017 Honda Civic Type R to be launched at Geneva motor show

Honda will rely on the new Civic’s wider chassis to improve grip and handling stability, along with a new aerodynamic package, including two rear spoilers and a front splitter.

2017 Honda Civic Type R spotted testing in the US

"We have a lot more downforce from the design and aero package," the Type-R’s chief designer Daisuke Tsutamori told Autocar at Paris. Tsutamori’s design features an unusual front-end design with airflow into the engine bay split between three vents – a conventional lower vent, a narrow central grille and slot-like upper grille.

The area of the central grille is reduced by the Honda badge, but also functions as part of the Type-R’s ped-pro crash impact hardware.

Tsutamori stressed that the car shown at Paris was a prototype, but also admitted that "it was as close to the production car as possible".

"The difference between the current Type-R and the new one is that the new one has been designed in from the start of the programme," said Honda’s UK managing director Phil Crossman.

As a result it can utilise the new Civic’s multi-link rear axle. The outgoing model had to be converted from the Civic’s standard twist-beam to a new multi-link, eating-up engineering time and resources.

Styling features on the concept include wider air vents than the regular Civic, smoked LED headlights and a new air intake on the bonnnet. New skirts made from carbon fibre help to give the car a more aggressive look, alongside 20in alloy wheels shod with Continental SportContact 6 tyres and flared wheel arches. At the back, there's a new fixed spoiler and three exhaust outlets.

Power is expected to rise, although the exact output remains unclear. One source said that the outgoing Civic, which features a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 306bhp, represented the "absolute minimum" for the next car's performance.

Honda says the future model will slightly increase on the current Type R's £30,000 starting price. It will be offered with a GT trim-level like the current car.

The current Civic Type R was launched in 2015, and competes against the Ford Focus RS, Audi RS3 Sportback, VW Golf R and Mercedes-AMG A45, all of which are all-wheel drive. A final Black Edition was recently launched.

Honda UK expect to sell around 1000 Type Rs a year – about the same as the outgoing Type-R. The current Type R, a halo product for Honda alongside the NSX supercar, currently accounts for 4% of Civic sales.