Recently, Hideki Kakinuma, chief engineer of Honda Civic Type R, said in an interview: In the electric era, Honda will not give up the Type R high-performance model. It is possible to continue to launch high-performance models using internal combustion engines. At the same time, the Type R high-performance models can also be electric or hybrid models.
Hideki Kakinuma said: "Without Type R, there would be no Honda." He went on to explain that Honda firmly believes that driving pleasure is the core essence of private travel. Of course, in the automotive industry, tighter rules have forced Honda to embrace electrification, and since carbon neutrality and emissions regulations are so stringent, considering such a high-performance model within the constraints is tough. ”
The good news is that Honda sees these obstacles as "new challenges in providing customers with driving pleasure." To that end, Kakinuma tells us that Honda remains committed to launching more Type R models. Interestingly, he mentioned that there might still be enough time to launch a high-performance car with an internal combustion engine, although he didn't hold out much hope.
Cars powered by internal combustion engines can still be carbon neutral, the engineer said, with Kakinuma likely referring to synthetic fuels. It is worth mentioning that Toyota is experimenting with hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines. With stricter Euro 7 regulations coming into force later this decade, the future of conventionally powered performance cars doesn't look promising.
In addition, Kakinuma believes that the Type R does not necessarily have to have a gasoline engine, because an electric or hybrid car can still be a Type R model, as long as it is fun to drive. Earlier this year, Honda Motor Europe technical advisor Ko Yamamoto didn't rule out a plug-in hybrid Civic Type R based on the recently launched model.
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Editor in charge: Zhu Yuxiang