After a couple of weeks of relentless teasing, from both the traditional and social media, it's finally here: the
Honda Civic Type R.
©Patrick Everett Tadeo for Carmudi Philippines
Fresh from its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show less than a month ago, the Civic Type R makes its way to the Philippines for the first time ever and the number of people taking photos of it at the show was proof at how eagerly-anticipated the car's debut was locally.
Utilizing the five-door shell of the Civic--which, sadly, isn't available here--the Civic Type R follows Honda’s heritage of developing high-performance vehicles and is "engineered to deliver the most rewarding drive with its refined aerodynamic styling, packaged with a remarkable driving performance." The Civic Type R also sports an extensive aerodynamic design that's characterized by its muscular and aggressive frame that provides better high-speed stability and more agile handling.
A
2.0-liter VTEC TURBO engine that puts out
316 hp and
400 Nm of torque through a
six-speed manual transmission that's been further improved by a rev match control system.
Honda Cars Philippines remains mum about the possibility of the Civic Type R going on sale locally but Brand Manager
Sherwin Spencer Kuan admitted to Carmudi Philippines that a lot of people have expressed their interest in purchasing one, with one individual even asking about purchasing three units. When we surmised that maybe the individual is taking advantage of the supposed limited availability of the Civic Type R to 100 units in the Philippines and that he or she would probably keep one unit and sell the other two units at marked-up prices, Kuan said, "I hope that's not the case. We'd like the buyers of the Type R to enjoy it at the price we'd set for it."
So, does this mean we're really getting the Civic Type R? And if it's in limited numbers as rumored, will Honda Cars PH implement the necessary measures to prevent people from acquiring more than one unit? Only time will tell.