The long-awaited 2017 Honda Civic Type R has been revealed in prototype form at the Paris Motor Show today.

THE ALL-NEW Honda Civic Type R has been revealed in prototype form today at the Paris Motor Show, “offering an insight into the styling of the next-generation Civic Type R which will be officially unveiled in 2017”.

Based on the Civic hatchback, the Type R prototype gets a “winged carbon fibre splitter and sporty red accent line. Additional slatted ducts add width to the bumper, and diamond-mesh inserts fill the sculpted air intakes”. There’s an air intake on the bonnet, smoked head-light lenses covering LED head-lights and indicators.

At the side are carbon-fibre skirts running the full length of the wheelbase with 20-inch alloys with red accents wrapped in 245-section rubber. There’s a carbon fibre diffuser beneath the rear bumper, with three tailpipes, the one in the middle is smaller.

Honda said, “the next-generation Civic Type R was engineered within the same development programme as the other members of the Civic family, and will be officially unveiled in production form next year”. The new Civic Type R will be produced in the UK and shipped around the world, including to Australia. It will also go to the US for the first time ever.

Honda hasn’t revealed anything about its engine or performance, but it’s expected to borrow the current car’s engine and will likely increase the output. Honda has made it clear it wants the new Civic Type R to set a new world record speed around the Nurburgring, so, expect it to make use of the current Type R’s running gear but with significant revisions.

Stay tuned.