The latest Honda Civic Type R uses a turbocharged petrol engine in conjunction with a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive system. Rumors that the car would use a plug-in hybrid powertrain and even get AWD were put to rest at the launch – but it now looks like the manufacturer does have such a version in mind.
Speaking in an interview with Autocar, Honda Motor Europe representative Ko Yamamoto said the Civic Type R platform supported electrification. He denied the possibility of an all-electric hatchback based on this architecture, but left the door open slightly for the hybrid variant. “I would not rule out electrification. We cannot implement an all-electric drivetrain on this platform, but I believe it could be used for a plug-in hybrid,” he said.
The new Civic Type R should reach the market in the USA in the coming autumn. All technical specifications and prices should become known by then, and if we are lucky we might hear the PHEV announcement as well.
