2017 Honda Civic Type R set to be manual-only for Australia

Honda Australia has peeled back the covers on its performance car future, with the brand today confirming it's pushing for an all-new, low-cost sports car to join the Civic Hatch Type R and NSX in Australia.

Honda Australia today confirmed the incoming Civic Hatch Type R – which is heavily tipped to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show in October – will likely arrive in Australia with a manual-only transmission.

The decision would pit the Honda hot hatch against the Ford Focus RS, which is also offered exclusively with a manual transmission, while separating it from the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG and the Audi RS3, both of which are auto-only.

"I think the performance will be superior to (the Golf) GTI. I would imagine it's more the playing with the Focus RS and that kind of area," said Honda's GM of Customer Communications, Scott McGregor.

"I think our enthusiast base is crying out for a manual performance car, so I think in that segment, that's the configuration that's going to work best for us.

"I don't think it will necessarily impact the volumes we can do. You can see what's happening with the Focus RS right now. I think if we went the other way and only brought and auto in, I don't think that would be acceptable to the market place.

"So I think we're pretty comfortable that the Type R is going to be the right package. We're trying to launch it absolutely as soon as it is available out of Europe."

I think it will be quite a substantial change (from the current car), I think performance wise it will be outstanding.

While details remain thin on the ground, the new Civic Type R – the performance version of the Civic Hatch revealed last week – is expected to arrive equipped with more power than the outgoing model's Nurburgring-slaying 231kW and 400Nm, though generated from the same sized 2.0-litre turbocharged VTEC engine. The new model – the only Australian Civic to be built in Europe rather than Thailand – will arrive next year.

"I think it will be quite a substantial change (from the current car), I think performance wise it will be outstanding," said Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins.

"I think last time around we sold around 2000 Type Rs, so we do huge volume… and so we will bring the best Type R to market.

"We really think it will deliver on all the sporty attributes that the Type R is famous for. It will certainly be on sale next year, and it will be competitively priced."

Honda Australia also used a media briefing to reveal there's been international talk of introducing a Toyota 86-rivalling, cut-price two-door sports car to market. The move would signal a return to Honda's performance hey-day of the 1980s and '90s when several vehicles, including the Integra, wore the Type R badge. But Mr Collins refused to be drawn on whether a new model would be front- or rear-wheel drive.

At the end of the day, it's the company's will to go down the track of sporty cars.

"There has been a lot of discussion about that globally. There's no model available at this point in time, but for us it's clear that there would be an opportunity," Mr Collins said.

"So if that sort of model becomes available to us, then I think absolutely we'd be putting our hand up for it. It's obvious that we would want that."

"At the end of the day, it's the company's will to go down the track of sporty cars, and our President has said he wants to give more freedom to R and D (Research and Development).

"My memory of the ‘80s and ‘90s is that Honda R&D came up with some pretty cool stuff, and so I think from the President down, that's been acknowledged.

"I think you're starting to see the fruits of that, and over the next few years you'll start to see more fruits of that thinking."

Would you prefer the next Civic Type R as a manual or auto? Tell us what you think in the comments below.