The 2015 Civic Type R is Honda Motor Co.’s first turbocharged vehicle in awhile, but it turns out the hot hatchback is only the tip of the spear.
The brand is planning to build a wave of VTEC Turbo four-cylinders in 2015, some of which will come to the U.S. and all of which will be produced at the automaker’s plant in Anna, Ohio.
Automotive News reports that the next-generation, non-Type R Civic will equip one of those powerplants in the form of a 1.5-liter turbo. This mission here is fuel economy, not performance, but there will be advantages in power as well.
“Downsized turbocharging will be the base, even for the Civic,” said Yoshiharu Yamamoto, the brands R&D chief. The 1.5-liter will deliver the horsepower of a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine, he said, but with better torque and fuel economy.
Honda has experimented with forced induction before, but only scarcely. We have fond memories of the first-generation Acura RDX, the turbo V6 Honda Legend from the 1980s, and the adorable City Turbo from the same decade. Not all models will feature forced induction, however.
“Quite a bit will switch over to turbo,” Yamamoto explained, “But there will still be some naturally aspirated ones remaining.”
Another turbo VTEC engine will arrive under the hood of the 2018 Honda CR-Z. The 2.0-liter block is unlikely to produce the same numbers as the 305-horsepower Type R, but its projected 280 hp is still nothing to shake a stick at.
The hybrid variant will be scrapped altogether as Honda gives the CR-Z a sporty makeover from top to bottom. The car will be built on the same platform as the next-gen Civic (no longer that of the Fit) and will reportedly feature styling inspired by the Acura NSX.
