• Outstanding orders in Japan have swelled past 20,000
• Current state of parts supply chain and logistics mean only 400 cars can be produced each month
• Orders temporarily suspended

We’ve previously reported that Honda dealers in Japan are no longer accepting orders for the FL5 generation Honda Civic Type R, but those actions are initiated by the dealers themselves, given their very limited allocation and orders that keep coming in.

Now, Honda Motor in Japan has made an official announcement informing customers there that it is suspending orders for the Civic Type R to allow the company to concentrate on fulfilling existing orders. However the company stressed that the suspension is only temporary.

Honda says due to effects of new Covid-19 infections, chronic shortage of semiconductor parts, unstable supply of parts and logistics, it’s difficult to give a reliable forecast on production numbers.

Separately, Japanese publication Best Car Web says Honda has confirmed that there are over 20,000 outstanding orders for the Civic Type R. Given the current production forecast of just 400 cars a month, it would take at least 50 months, or 4 years and 2 months to clear the current order backlog.

Of course, if the parts supply situation improves, this figure would come down considerably but as mentioned by Honda, it’s difficult to make a reliable forecast given the current situation with parts supply and logistics.

Closer to home, the Civic Type R has already been launched in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines – in that order.

Honda Malaysia will certainly be launching the Civic Type R within this year, but it will only be a symbolic launch as allocation will be very limited, and like nearly all other markets, the model will be sold out even before its price is announced.

For those in the know, the Civic Type R is not just a car, but an investment because it will be the last Civic Type R as we know it. If the Type R nameplate survives into the next decade, it will be a hybrid, or gasp….a fully electric model.

Honda is committed to its 2030 target to have 40 percent of its sales to come from zero emission vehicles - either battery EVs or hydrogen fuel cell electric FCEVs. Of greater concern for the Civic Type R is the target for Europe - a key market for high performance hatchbacks. 

By 2025, 100 percent of Honda’s sales in Europe will be electrified, meaning that all new Hondas sold there will be either a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery EV, or FCEV.

The Civic Type R, in its current form, doesn’t fit very well in this image of Honda’s electric future.

Even as it is, Honda’s principle of keeping the Civic Type R as a 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive-only model makes it an outlier against the all-wheel drive, dual-clutch automatic transmission-dominated competition. But for its loyal fans, this is the essence of the Civic Type R and its mechanical purity is what makes it a highly coveted collectible.

Expect to pay at least RM 350k when the FL5 Civic Type R is launched in Malaysia.

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