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Next Honda Civic Type R could be made in Japan

Courtesy of the closure of its British plant, Honda will move Civic Type R production - possibly to Japan.

The next generation Honda Civic Type R will be made in Japan after confirmation the brand's British production plant in Swindon will be closing in 2022. 

That's around the time the next-generation Civic will be launched, and with the British plant shutting down, production of European and North American-market Civic hatches - as well as all Type R hatches - will likely relocate to Japan. 

Despite a move in production source, Honda Australia will be completely unaffected by the switch thanks to sourcing the majority of its cars - Jazz, City, HR-V, CR-V and Accord - from Thailand, while the NSX is made in North America and the Odyssey comes from Japan. 

“The Civic’s full model change a is still few years away, and the Civic Type R will be re-sourced, possibly from Japan” said Honda Australia director, Stephen Collins. 

“Otherwise it has no effect on Australia.”

The next generation Civic is due around 2022. The next generation Civic is due around 2022.

Asked if the Civic Type R could potentially become cheaper because of its move to Japan and the free-trade agreement that exists between that country and Australia, Mr Collins suggested Honda Australia was happy with the Type R’s positioning.

“We’re really happy with Type R in Australia. We’re happy with its price, we’re happy with how well it sells, and we just love the car in general, so making it cheaper isn’t on our radar.”

The Type R brand is due to stay specific to the Civic model line for now, with no plans to introduce cars such as a Jazz Type R or an Accord Type R.

“The Type R brand has spent a lot of time turning Civics into genuine sports cars, and for the foreseeable future will not move beyond the Civic,” said Mr Collins. 

Would you be more likely to buy a Honda Civic if it were made in Japan? Tell us what you think in the comments below.