2023 Honda Civic Type R arrives in Australia

The first 2023 Honda Civic Type R hot hatchbacks have arrived in Australia ahead of first customer deliveries due next month.

Images posted by user JaJa Scarver to the FL5 Civic Type R Australia Facebook group show what is believed to be one of the first – if not the first – new Civic Type Rs in Australia on a car-carrier in Victoria.

Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin next month – Honda Australia has previously indicated – so this vehicle may be one of the first customer cars, or a Honda Australia-owned vehicle for internal use or media evaluation duties.

As reported by Drive, wait times for new Honda Civic Type R orders have already blown out to 18 months – or mid-2024 delivery if ordered today – before any buyers have seen the car or taken a test drive in Australia.

The first year's allocation of cars for Australia – believed to number approximately 600 or 700 vehicles – sold out in 24 hours of orders opening on 1 December 2022.

These orders – and the 4000 expressions of interest received by Honda Australia prior to orders opening – came despite a price of $72,600 drive-away, approximately $12,000 higher than the old model (which ended its run at about $60,000 on the road).

As with all other new Honda cars in Australia, the Civic Type R's price is non-negotiable and fixed across Australia – though buyers who order today are expected to be protected against future price increases before taking delivery.

Stay tuned to Drive for more news on the 2023 Honda Civic Type R as its local launch in the coming weeks approaches.