Honda Civic Type R (FL5) orders temporarily suspended in Japan due to overwhelming demand

The all-new FL5 Honda Civic Type R is probably one of the last of its kind in an era where electrification is the buzzword among automakers. The latest hot hatch is quickly becoming a future classic though Honda Japan announced that it would temporarily suspend orders under further notice.

According to information from Japanese car publication Best Car Web, Honda dealers across the country have been flooded with orders for the FL5. It has gotten so overwhelming that a lottery system was implemented to decide which customers will get their hands on the hot hatch first.

Honda first began accepting pre-orders for the Civic Type R in Japan on 21-July 2022 with sales starting on 1-September 2022. The FL5 is currently in production at Honda’s Yorii plant in Saitama with a planned monthly sales volume of 400 units.

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

Demand has been so massive that Honda announced on 19-December 2022 that it would pause further orders for the time being. The red H has not mentioned how many units have been sold for now but based on Best Car Web’s own research, it is likely to be more than their target.

The Japanese publication interviewed a few dealers across the country, and each has sold out their allocated quota. For instance, one Honda dealer in Tokyo was allocated 72 units. At the same time, another dealer in Tokyo stated that they received about 20 orders every week following the launch.

There are around 2,100 Honda dealers in Japan so even if each of these dealers receives 10 orders of the FL5, that would easily exceed more than 20,000 units which shows just how much demand the hot hatch is getting in Japan alone.

Also read: Watch how the FL5 2023 Honda Civic is manufactured in Japan

Furthermore, it is estimated that the delivery time for orders that came in later could take between 2 to 3 years to be fulfilled.

Also read: 2023 FL5 Honda Civic Type R has a 2-year waiting list in Japan - Expect delays for Malaysian launch?

To recap, the FL5 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre K20C1 4-cylinder petrol unit that produces 330 PS/420 Nm and is priced at JPY 4,997,300 (~RM 166k).

While it is certain that Honda Malaysia will offer the FL5 in the country officially just like the previous FK8, those wanting to get the latest Civic Type R “early” through grey imports would still have to wait given the long delivery period.

Also read: 2022 Honda Civic Type R (FL5) open for booking at RM 350k? Honda Malaysia rubbishes claims