Next-gen Civic Type R to run on petrol. Fortunately.

In the late months of 2019, Japanese carmaker Honda made its plan public to offer either hybrid, or fully-electric variants of every mainstream model from 2022 due to “the pace of change in regulation, the market, and consumer behavior in Europe”, said Honda Europe’s Senior VP, Tom Gardner.

But, to honor the auto-enthusiasts for one last time it seems, Honda has decided against Civic Type R’s hybrid/fully-electric version. And as a result, the Japanese auto giant has confirmed that the upcoming Type R variant of the 11th-gen Civic will boast a high-output turbo-petrol motor when it arrives in 2022, making it one of the last purely petrol-powered Hondas on sale. We’re not crying; you are!

With the hatchback’s body-style being vastly more popular than the saloon’s in Western Europe, one can only expect that the Type R will once again be based on the five-door. The over-the-top design of the current car is set to evolve, however, Honda won’t tone it down too much. After-all, they plan to play it safe.

Down the road, Honda may also offer a subtly-styled, wingless Sport Line variant. Spy shots of the next-gen hot-hatch support this thought while also revealing that the wheelbase has somewhat been increased to support an increase in the passenger space, too. You lost us at the Wingless Sport Line variant, Honda.

A “dramatic interior makeover” is what is on Honda’s to-do list for the Mk11 Civic as the top bosses think they lack quite substantially to its rivals when it comes to an infotainment system. To add, one should also expect quality improvements and a mature look and feel everywhere inside the cabin, now.

The powertrain is set to evolve too, with the exterior. A version of the current-gen’s 2.0L direct-injection turbo four-cylinder is set to power the legend, albeit with upgrades to boost performance and efficiency. Gunning for the maximum mileage is also Honda’s agenda.

Although knowing that today’s Civic Type R is on the verge of reaching its end-point with respect to the potential of a front-wheel-drive car, the outright power-on-tap may not be greater than 316bhp that is being offered as of now, but the response of the turbocharger and torque delivery may see improvements.

With no major changes to the chassis, the Type R should retain the dual-axis strut front-suspension, with an advanced version of the limited-slip differential to help control the power coming via the front-axle. At the rear, a multi-link set-up along with adaptive damping will make way for better differentiation between comfort and sport modes.

As for the prices, the next-gen Type R is likely to stick to its roots and launch with no substantial increase in the bucks meaning the hot-hatch should start from around 35,000GBP.