We've already seen spy shots of a facelifted version of the Civic Type R for the 2019 model year but before it arrives, Honda has unveiled a facelift for the 2019 Civic sedan and coupe. Of course, these are the versions that the vast majority of the public will buy, so it only makes sense to reveal them first. The exterior changes are far from drastic, but differences include a new piano black upper fascia, restyled lower fascia, bumper, and lower grille, a full-width front splitter, chrome side accents, and updated halogen or LED headlights.

Honda has also added a new Sport trim, which sits between the base LX and mid-level EX. The Sport trim replaces chrome accents with gloss black and also adds 18-inch wheels and a center-mounted exhaust inspired by the Civic Si. Unlike the Sport trim Civic hatchback, the coupe and sedan will be powered by the base naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower, not the 1.5-liter turbocharged unit with 174 hp. Both the coupe and sedan are available with either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT.

Like the recently revealed 2019 HR-V and Pilot, the 2019 Civic will come with an updated seven-inch infotainment display which, joy of joys, now has a volume knob - no more having to fuss around with Honda's silly volume slider. The 2019 Civic is also safer thanks to standard Honda Sensing technology, which includes collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. These are all welcomed additions that make the Civic an even better option in the compact car segment. Pricing was not announced but we expect it will be very soon as the 2019 Civic will soon be in dealerships.

Honda announced Thursday that its Performance Development wing now sells race-ready versions of its Civic Type R hot hatchback to North American customers.

In its road-bound form, the Civic Type R is already quick enough. It possesses the lap record for street-legal, front-wheel-drive production cars at both the Nürburgring and Portugal's Estoril and not just because of its sharp handling. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder produces 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque that its front wheels somehow handle, allowing the car to achieve a zero-to-60 time of under six seconds.

The race car, of course, is an entirely different animal.

Like the road car, the Civic Type R TCR is a front-wheel-drive hatchback, with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that feeds a turbocharger, but their power output differs significantly. The tuned-up TCR plops down 330 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, which flows downstream through a multi-disc clutch, a paddle-shifted Xtrac six-speed transaxle, and out to 18-by-10-inch OZ Racing alloy wheels.

There's plenty of go power, but what about stopping? Honda Performance Development has that box checked too, with six-piston brake calipers clamping down on a 15-inch vented brake rotor up front, and two-piston calipers mimicking their bigger brothers in back, where they squeeze 10.2-inch solid steel rotors. Ohlins shock absorbers are at all four corners with adjustable roll bars connecting the suspension from side to side. Front suspension is of the compact McPherson strut design, and rear is multilink.

So it's fast, but is it reliable? Damn straight. Civic Type R TCRs have suffered no mechanical failures in the 12-race season that was the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge, where it won five times in the TCR class, earning Ryan Eversley a class victory.

How much the Civic Type R TCR shares with the road car is uncertain. Is it a silhouette racer with a bespoke race engine, or was it adapted from the production car? The Drive reached out to HPD for extra info on the car, and we'll update when we receive its response.

We can't help but hope a special TCR road car comes our way one day. It'd go along perfectly with the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR...Which we also don't expect to ever make production. Oh well.

For its 10th-gen Civic, Honda moved to a global platform that allowed us Yanks to finally take a crack at the Civic Type R -- a car that proved to exceed our lofty expectations. When news broke that Honda may shutter the UK plant where it's built, concern started to spread. But now, some news might send that concern back to the ether.

Honda will bring North American Civic Hatchback production to North America, Automotive News reports, citing confirmation from Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo. "Given our efforts to optimize production allocation and production capacity on a global scale, we have concluded that we will produce the Civic for North America in North America," Hachigo told AN.

This is part of a greater shift in where Honda builds its global vehicles. It will end production of the current Civic Hatchback, including the Type R, in the UK and Turkey in 2021. Production will shift to Japan and North America, likely coinciding with the introduction of the next-generation Civic Hatch. Other variants of the US-spec Civic are manufactured in Indiana and Ontario, Canada.

But the commonly assumed reason for closing the UK plant, which supplies the US with its Civic Hatchbacks, isn't the real reason. Brexit may be on everybody's minds, but Honda said in previous interviews that Brexit isn't actually the reason. Rather, according to AN's report, a new trade pact between Europe and Japan has made it smarter for Honda to just ship the cars from Japan to Europe.

The Civic Hatchback may have been doomed in the US, had buyers not beaten Honda's sales expectations. According to an email from the automaker, the Civic Hatchback's variants comprise 20 percent of Honda's Civic sales volume, more than the automaker honestly expected. It appears that not everybody is sold on the idea of crossovers, and the extra versatility of a hatchback may keep some Civic buyers from jumping ship to something taller.

Six Civic Type Rs in contrast with each other, including the only sedan of the bunch.

The Honda Civic Type R is arguably the hottest of the hot hatches in the world today. Its red Honda badge has been a symbol of performance for the Japanese marque – one that has been a forbidden fruit for the Americans ever since its introduction in 1997. But alas, the U.S. has finally got its hands of the latest Civic Type R and the world can be at peace now.

With the iconic hot hatch's almost 22 years of history, it's inevitable that each of the five generations would be compared to each other. Considering that several MK1 Civic Type Rs are still on the road today, it isn't hard to get them all together. Such as this video from Youtube's Lovecars at the top of this page. For a brief history of the coveted red badge, read along.

It all started with the Civic Type R EK9, which was introduced in August 1997. This first-generation model was a JDM classic and was based on the three-door hatchback Civic. With weight reduction measures and the use of the hand-ported B16B engine, the Civic Type R EK9 has one of the highest output per liter – 182 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque coming out of a 1.6-liter engine.

Next is the Civic Type R EP3, which was based on the seventh-generation Civic. It's the first Civic Type R to be produced in the U.K., particularly in the Swindon plant, which is then shipped to Japan. The second-generation Civic Type R's defining characteristic is its almost-minivan styling and its 212-hp i-VTEC engine.

The third-generation Civic Type R is probably the most intriguing, as Honda opted to build two types of it. While both types of the MK3 were based on the eighth-generation Civic, the Asia-exclusive model is a four-door sedan (FD2 chassis) and has a higher output than its European counterpart at 222 hp and 159 lb-ft torque. In comparison, the Euro-version FN2 has an output of 198 hp and 142 lb-ft torque, and still a three-door hatchback.

The Civic Type R FK2 is the first of the red badge to bear a turbocharged power plant. It's also the one that lived the shortest, only hitting showrooms from 2015 to 2017. Regardless, its engine output has been raised to an outstanding 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The latest Civic Type R, the FK8, need not any introduction at this point. Watch the video on top of this page for the comparison of all generations of all generations of the Honda Civic Type R.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback returns with updated exterior styling, new interior trim, and a revised Sport trim that adds Smart Start and Entry and an upgraded Display Audio system with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ integration. In addition, the line-topping Sport Touring trim is now available with a 6-speed manual transmission for the first time. The 2020 Civic Hatchback goes on-sale with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $21,650 (excluding $930 destination and handling), joining the 2020 Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe which were refreshed in the previous model year.

Exterior and Interior Updates
Exterior styling refinements to the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback lineup include revised styling of the lower bumper fog light housings, which now feature a body-color crossbar. The Honda-signature "wing" grille crossbar is also updated, and the headlights now feature a sporty blackout treatment. In the rear, the lower bumper openings receive similar changes to the front, with a new body-color crossbar. All trims feature new wheel designs, in either dark gray or black. Sport Touring trims also benefit from improved LED headlights with wider and longer light beams.

Inside the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, new dash trim differentiates various trim levels, with Sport trims receiving a new geometrical pattern, LX and EX a new painted pattern, and EX-L and Sport Touring an exclusive brushed black treatment. The EX trim also adds an 8-way power driver's seat in place of manual adjustments, plus a new leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Sport Touring trims also now come with HomeLink®, plus the option of a 6-speed manual transmission mated to the standard 1.5-liter turbo engine. All Civic Hatchbacks also benefit from additional sound insulation in the floor, trunk, and front and rear fenders.

This model year's changes build on model year 2019 (MY19) changes, which included the addition of the Honda Sensing® suite of safety and driver-assistive systems as standard equipment on all trims, and multiple usability updates. Enhancements to technology and connectivity for MY19 included an updated Display Audio system on EX, EX-L and Sport Touring trims with physical buttons and a volume knob, improved voice recognition and Bluetooth® , a USB sub-cord, upgraded steering wheel controls for simplified operation, and physical buttons for fan speed on models with dual-zone climate control. Other changes included a new center console cup holder that better holds larger beverages, and an updated electronic parking brake with an indicator light.

Sport and Sport Touring Trims
The Honda Civic Hatchback Sport receives a host of changes for the 2020 model year. The upgraded 7-inch touchscreen Display Audio system with eight speakers (up from four) and Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ integration is now standard on Sport trims, along with Smart Start pushbutton ignition and Smart Entry keyless entry for improved ease of use. Sport trims equipped with the CVT also come with remote start for the first time. Additionally, Sport receives new seat upholstery unique to Sport trims, and a new embossed dash trim similar to what's found on the Sport trim introduced last year for Civic Sedan. For the line-topping Sport Touring trim, buyers now have a choice of either CVT automatic or 6-speed manual transmissions, both of which remain available in the Sport trim. HomeLink® is also standard.

[T]he line-topping Sport Touring trim is now available with a 6-speed manual transmission for the first time.

Not long after gaining subtle updates for the 2020 model year, the Honda Civic gets a new Sport Line variant in Europe.

The 2020 Civic Sport Line combines design cues inspired by the Type R hot hatch with generous equipment when based on the top-of-the-line EX trim level, and a turbocharged three-cylinder engine.

Styling-wise, it has front and side skirts, a rear diffuser and a subtle rear spoiler. The pack also includes 17-inch alloy wheels in a high-gloss, piano black finish and full LED headlights and DRLs. In addition to the usual range of exterior colors, the Sport Line model can be had in a new paint finish called Obsidian Blue

Inside, sporty-flavored upgrades include red stitching on the seats, steering wheel, gear shift boot and door panels, as well as drilled aluminum pedals. The list of standard equipment consists of the Honda Connect infotainment system with DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the top EX grade adds a reversing camera integrated in the interface.

As with all Civic models, the Sport Line offers Honda’s Sensing safety suite, which includes Collision Mitigation Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist System and Traffic Sign Recognition, as standard. Top grade models add Blind Spot Information (including Cross Traffic Monitor) and Low Speed Following functions

If you expected a powerful engine to go with the sporty appearance, the Civic Sport Line will probably disappoint you. That’s because it’s only available with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 126 PS (124 HP) and 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque that can be mated to either a six-speed manual or a CVT with paddle shifters.

In the UK, the Honda Civic Sport Line starts at £25,510 ($33,560) for the manual and £26,910 ($35,405) for the CVT. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in January 2020.