Will the 2022 Civic Type R Be a Hybrid AWD Beast?
Future Civic Type R rumored to receive torque-vectoring AWD, output of electric motors and turbo-four said to reach 400 horses!
The Civic Type R is the hot hatch of every Honda fans’ dreams, and everyone else’s nightmares. And now that’s been in the U.S. since 2017, more than a few quarter-miles and local track days have become battlegrounds for the mad Honda. Nothing can escape the aggressive looks and performance it has to offer.
And rumor has it the Type R’s power level is going to go over 9,000! Through the magic of Google Translate, Japanese publication Best Car Web, the next-gen Civic, set for 2022, will have hybrid power and all-wheel drive.
Taking a page from the Acura/Honda NSX, the new Type R will use torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. A 2.0-liter turbo-four will continue to motivate the front wheels. The rear wheels, though, will house a pair of electric motors, making this hot hatch an electric all-wheel drive ride. But that’s not all.
Right now, the current Type R’s 2.0-liter K20A puts down 306 horses and 295 lb-ft of torque strictly through the fronts via a six-speed manual. If the rumors are true, though, the 2022 version, with its hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive, will slam down 395 horsepower upon the blacktop!
This means vehicles with similar horsepower — BMW M2 Competition, Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400, Dodge Challenger R/T — are now fair game for the monster Civic. And of course, anyone behind the wheel of a Subaru WRX would be in the crosshairs, realizing they can no longer keep up with the Joneses.
That said, a hybrid Civic Type R is, for now, just a rumor. Back in June, Auto Express interviewed Honda Europe Senior VP Tom Gardener about the possibility of such a thing.
“We have our main pillars that are going to be electrified,” Gardener said. “Clearly we have a very famous product, such as the derivative of the Civic […] in the Type R, but no decisions have been made on that yet.”
Imagine if the Type R did gain all those superpowers, though. You could say goodbye to all of those weak-ass “hot” hatches, and hello to Valhalla!
Photos: Honda
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