Spied: For the first time ever, China set to CKD 2023 FL5 Honda Civic Type R

For the first time in China’s automotive history, the country will be locally-assembling (CKD) the 2023 FL5 Honda Civic Type R. The FL5 Type R is also set to be the first Type R to be sold officially in China; earlier models were parallel imported into the country by third-party dealers.

Courtesy of Yiche, we can see that Dongfeng Honda is preparing for local assembly work of the FL5 Civic Type R at one of their production facilities, as this body-in-white (BIW) awaits.

Also Read: Blink and you just might miss the subtlety of the new FL5 2022 Honda Civic Type R but you'll definitely hear it

This development pretty much cements our earlier report that Dongfeng Honda is set to CKD the FL5 Civic Type R and is set for a launch in September.

Also Read: Next-gen 2022 Honda Civic Type R could get CKD treatment in China

Currently, the FL5 Civic Type R is manufactured at Honda’s plant in Yorii, Saitama. The previous FK8 Civic Type R was manufactured at Honda’s Swindon plant in the UK, but that plant has since shuttered.

As a brief recap, the FL5 Civic Type R made its global debut back in mid-July. Power may come from the familiar turbocharged 2.0-litre K20C1 as before, but has been fettled to output 330 PS and 420 Nm, a small bump from the FK8 Type R (320 PS, 400 Nm).

Thanks to the bump in power and various handling and aerodynamic improvements, the FL5 Civic Type R now holds the Suzuka Circuit’s lap road for front-wheel drive cars.

What about Malaysia?

Hang in there – There is a good chance of Honda Malaysia offering the FL5 Civic Type R in our country. After all, Honda Malaysia did offer the FK8 Type R here a couple of years ago, retailing at RM 330k.

In Japan, the new FL5 Civic Type R is 5 percent more expensive than the model it replaces. Assuming that the same 5 percent increase in Japanese prices applies here, we expect Honda Malaysia to launch the model here sometime in late 2023, priced at around RM 350k.

Also Read: Expect RM 350k price for Malaysia - FL5 2022 Honda Civic Type R to be at least 5% more expensive, 6 months waiting list in Japan