A while ago, some rumors about the Honda Type R started roaming around that grabbed the attention of auto enthusiasts all over, and generated active discussion around various messaging boards for fans of the company. Speculations were quite wild and went in many directions, but there was a lot of talk about a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine, as well as some serious acceleration and control that would allegedly please even the most pretentious of drivers. At the same time, the release date of the rumored car was unknown, so many fans were waiting for Honda to say something about the situation.
And now, Chris Martin from Honda’s American division has decided to say something about the situation. When asked directly about the recent Type R rumors, his response was that the journalist wouldn’t like his answer. The interviewer still decided to press forward with the issue though, and Martin confirmed that the company really does have a 2.0 liter turbocharged “EarthDreams” engine like the one rumored in the Type R, but they are currently not planning to actually use it on any Honda vehicles in the car/light truck market segment targeted for the US market.
He then added that the company realizes that there are lots of rumors about their potential new models roaming around the Internet right now, but wanted people to avoid following any of that speculation until the company has made an official announcement. It’s worth noting that this was in no way a denial of the rumors, which is actually pretty standard PR talk when companies are discussing such situations.
Still, various industry experts remain hopeful that Honda really do have something in the works, and are preparing a new model with their turbocharged engine, and that they just don’t want to announce it yet. Considering the current popularity of the technology, and the increasing attention it’s been receiving with its low emissions and gas mileage, it would make sense for Honda to use the engine more actively.
Whether or not it will go in a new Civic Type R is hard to say though, especially with the multitude of contradicting rumors that have been going around. Even Honda’s official denial of the rumors should probably not be taken at face value – if the company do have a new model in development and want to make its announcement at a specific time, it makes sense that they would want to avoid confirming those rumors at first. On the other hand, they probably wouldn’t address them directly in any way if that were the case, so at this point, fans who want to get their hands on a brand new Civic Type R can just sit and wait for Honda to say something in the future.