Orders for the new Honda Civic Type R will continue in the UK despite being temporarily halted in Japan after an influx of demand outstripped supply.
The latest version of the hot hatch – of which all globally sold examples are produced in the same Yorii plant in Japan – will be made in limited numbers due to strict emission regulations: the UK will get “hundreds, not thousands”, Rebecca Adamson, Honda UK’s head of cars, previously confirmed to Autocar.
Because of a lack of parts, such as semiconductors, and a recent surge in coronavirus infections within Japan, “it is difficult to forecast future production”, the firm wrote on its Japanese-market website. It could not confirm when orders would again be taken.
It added: “In order to ensure the delivery of Civic Type R to all customers who have already placed orders, we have temporarily stopped accepting orders.”
However, the UK will continue to take orders for the £46,995 hot hatch, the firm has told Autocar, albeit with customers placed on waiting lists with their nearest dealer rather than being put on any nationwide waiting list.
“Within the UK, we can confirm the demand for it is exceeding the volume. However, dealers do have a waiting list and we are expecting more in the country over the next few months,” a Honda spokesperson told Autocar. The first orders are due to arrive with UK owners this month.
Released at the end of last year as the most powerful variant of the venerable Japanese hatch to date, the Type R enters its sixth generation with redesigned bodywork concurrent with the new 11th-generation Honda Civic, also gaining important mechanical upgrades and improved aerodynamics.
It is driven by an “evolved” version of the 2.0-litre turbocharged 17YM engine seen in the previous car, mated to an improved six-speed manual gearbox. As Honda’s ‘mainstream’ models have already gone hybrid-only in Europe, this is likely to be the last pure-ICE car the brand ever launches here.