It would appear Honda Australia will clutch defeat from the jaws of victory again with its all-new turbocharged Civic Type-R now not expected until as late as 2017.
The exciting new hot hatch, which motoring.com.au first sampled ahead of the 2013 Tokyo motor show will go on sale in Europe following its production debut at next month's Geneva motor show. But as was the case with the arrival of the current Civic Type-R, Aussie buyers will again have to wait.
Speaking to motoring.com.au at the launch of the new HR-V this week, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said the first-ever turbocharged Civic Type-R would not arrive until after the NSX.
After a long gestation, Honda stated that its keenly anticipated supercar will land in Australian showrooms in early 2016, meaning the Type-R would now come late in 2016 or possibly as late as early 2017.
"Our first priority is NSX and it certainly won't arrive before that," stated Collins. "We're still trying to confirm exactly when that will be, but it's a matter of getting the business case finalised."
Collins admitted Australian buyers were not part of Honda's initial focus for the sizzling hot hatch, with European buyers clearly in the manufacturer's gun sights.
"The focus is clearly on Europe," he said. "We're certainly in line for it, and hopefully it won't be too far behind. What we want is to bring the best [vehicles] to the market as quickly as we can, and I don't see that it's an issue."
Whether Australian Type-R buyers will share that view is highly unlikely. The technology, performance and specifications of the new Civic Type-R will undoubtedly be superseded by the time it arrives, with most stalwart European hot hatch makers already well through the life cycle of their current models.
Honda is predicting its new Civic Type-R will boast a top speed of 270km/h. The figure makes it faster than Volkswagen's Golf R and even the Nurburgring front-wheel drive record holder, Renault's Megane RS 275 Trophy R. The Japanese manufacturer has yet to confirm a 0-100km/h time or final output figures, but says we can expect north of 220kW.