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America is Finally Getting a Freaking Honda Civic Type R

This is Not a Drill

In what is either the best news of the week or the cruelest April Fool’s Day prank ever played, Honda announced today at the New York International Auto Show that yes, America is finally getting a Honda Civic Type R.

For reals.

Today, Honda unveiled a new super-sporty Civic concept in advance of the 10th generation Civic’s upcoming fall launch. The 2016 Honda Civic will be available in Sedan, Coupe (pictured here), and 5-door Hatchback body types, as well as Si and, yes, Type R versions.

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For its entire history, Honda has made one Civic for the North American market and a different Civic for the rest of the world. The 2016 model will be the first global Civic, and as such, will become the first Honda in North America to feature the automaker’s new VTEC Turbo engines.

The 2016 Civic will feature a 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine. We don’t know the powertrain details for any Civic models, though it would certainly be nice if the Type R version was able to match the European model’s 306 horsepower.

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“The new Civic will be, flat out, the most dynamic, the most technologically advanced and the most refined and stylish Civic we’ve ever made,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda’s Automobile Division. “In every way, this will be an epic Civic.”

The term “epic Civic” doesn’t get used a whole lot, but in this case, it’s actually pretty apt. American performance enthusiasts have been salivating at the idea of an American Civic Type R for a long time, and now we’re finally getting one, with the sporty design to match.