Honda Unveils The New Civic Type R At 2014 Paris Auto Show

Honda has quite the line-up at Paris' annual car show, including a new sports-minded Civic Type R. For this year's model, however, Honda has pulled out all the stops, calling it the most extreme Type R yet, substantially outpacing all its Type R predecessors, including the Civic, the the Integra, the Accord, and the NSX.

What led Honda to make this bold claim is the 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine roaring inside. This engine delivers power over 280 PS and, with a turbocharger instead of relying on natural aspiration, it can deliver that power effectively even in the low-end. A new "steer axis" front suspension system developed specifically with this i-VTEC engine in mind helps minimize torque steer while a brand new four-point Adaptive Damper System can automatically adjust front and rear stiffness in a fraction of a second. Despite all these new power features, the Civic Type R still has the six-speed manual transmission of the Type R line, giving the driver total control.

But wait, there's more! Honda has endowed the Civic Type R with a new power via a big red "+R" button beside the steering wheel. When pressed, the engine goes into overdrive, torque-mapping becomes more aggressive, and steering becomes more responsive. In short, "+R" pushes this Type R to the extreme, making it suitable for track use, a nod to the line's racing roots.

Produced at Honda's Swindon, UK plant, the Civic Type R is poised to be designed and engineered for European taste. It will arrive in dealerships in 2015, though no exact price has been dropped yet. A blue Civic Type R concept, bearing red streaks that speak of the car's aggressive nature, as well as the iconic red H badge, can be found on Honda's the showroom floor at the 2014 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris this week.

SOURCE: Honda