Three words: Oh. My. Goodness.
You know that feeling of waiting for this specific gift to arrive under the Christmas tree, only you had to wait years before finally getting it? Now imagine if, after all that waiting, you learn that there are other versions of that gift that you’ve been so desperate to get. That’s kind of the feeling I had when I heard about Hideki Matsumoto’s comments to Automotive News.
Granted, I will leave some space for interpretation here because even with somebody as plugged into the business of the Honda Civic is as the man who’s the chief engineer of the actual model, Honda itself hasn’t made any announcements on this matter. But even with that space, it’s also worth mentioning Matsumoto’s status within the company. If he says that more variants are on the way, that’s pretty telling of what Honda’s plans are. The trick here is linking those two trains of thought so that optimism remains for these other Civic Type R variants even without an official green light for Honda. Hopefully, an official answer arrives sooner than later because the automotive world is going to lose its collective minds should Honda decide to go down this path.
Suppose that it does, the scenario of seeing a toned-down version of the Civic Type R and a more hardcore version is the most likely to happen. Another possible version could be an all-wheel drive model since a lot of the Civic Type R’s closest competition – the aforementioned Focus RS, the Golf R, and the Subaru WRX – all use this type of configuration. If Honda wants the Civic Type R to be at the epicenter of hot hatch domination, an AWD version is a must. At some point, sedan and coupe versions of the Civic Type R could also be in the works. Honda already has the base variants to make it happen so it would be foolish to count them out if Honda really wants to maximize the full scope of potential that the Civic Type R provides.
Is it possible though?
It’s easy to imagine all these scenarios without stepping back and seeing whether these plans are even feasible. Fortunately, Honda’s the kind of major automaker that can make it work. It has the resources and the know-how to make this reported plan flourish. Besides, it’s not like other automakers haven’t used the “more variants” strategy for their own benefits. Porsche has done a masterclass with this line of thinking, as have Mercedes-AMG, BMW, and even Chevrolet.
Having more variants of the same model not only helps keep the name fresh, but it also broadens consumer appeal while maintaining strong sales figures for the automaker. It doesn’t always work relative to a company’s goals, but if done right, it could prove to be a golden ticket towards strong sales numbers. The good news for Honda, in this case, is that it finally has the model that can do it.
After all, the industry doesn’t call the Honda Civic Type R the “forbidden fruit” for no reason.
Read our full review on the Honda Civic Type R here.
Source: Automotive News