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2022 Honda Civic Type R to retain manual transmission, making plug-in hybrid switch unlikely

Japan's hot hatch hero will hold on to three pedals in its next generation, despite rumours of a 300kW plug-in hybrid system.


The next-generation 2022 Honda Civic Type R will continue to offer a manual transmission, all but confirming it will resist a much-rumoured switch to eco-friendly, plug-in hybrid power.

A Honda US representative confirmed on social media that the new Civic Type R will be fitted with a manual gearbox as standard, with the wider Civic hatch range to offer a three-pedal layout on certain variants in the US – despite the recently-revealed 2022 Civic sedan being CVT automatic only.

The confirmation of a manual transmission appears to rule out widespread rumours the next Type R will morph into a plug-in hybrid, with Japan's Best Car claiming it will pair the current model's 228kW 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder with three electric motors for 294kW and all-wheel drive.

While mating a plug-in hybrid system with a manual transmission is mechanically possible, it's a combination that has yet to be employed by any manufacturer globally – though Honda has form with building three-pedal hybrid systems, namely with the 'conventional' hybrid CR-Z of 2010-15.

Should the next Civic Type R benefit from some form of electrification, expect little more than a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, with Car Sensor in Japan reporting it will feature a compact electric motor to provide a mild electrical boost under heavy acceleration.

Above and top: How CarAdvice imagines the next Honda Civic Type R will look.

However, it's most likely the next Type R will instead stick to a version of the current car's 2.0-litre non-hybrid four-cylinder, with Autocar reporting it will continue to be sold in Europe as the sole exception to Honda's plan to electrify its entire range on the continent by 2023.

Autocar claims the next-generation hot hatch's mechanicals won't differ significantly, with tweaks to the engine expected to be focused around improving throttle response and fuel efficiency. Any power and torque increases are slated to be minor.

The 2022 Honda Civic Type R is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2022, with Car Sensor pointing to a March reveal date, versus Best Car's December timeline.

Such timing would correlate to an Australian launch in late 2022 or the first half of 2023.

For reference, the outgoing Civic Type R was revealed seven months after the regular hatch body style – given the new-generation Civic hatch has been confirmed to debut in the next few months, a global unveiling in early 2022 appears likely.

Production is expected to shift to Indiana in the US alongside the US-market Civic hatch range, following the closure of the Swindon, UK plant currently employed for Type R production.


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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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