click above image to view more pics of the Euro-spec Honda Civic Type-R

For some strange reason, the U.S. is sort of like the village of the damned when it comes to cool overseas products, because we never seem to get anything that our friends overseas get. Take the Civic Type-R, for instance. It's a sweet hatch that looks way cooler than the Si coupe or sedan Honda sells Stateside. Now comes word from Autocar in the UK that the Type-R will soon receive a high-revving diesel engine. The 2.2L turbodiesel, which will also power the 2009 Accord, is rumored to kick out 180 HP and 320 ft-lbs. of torque. A top Honda powertrain engineer, Kenichi Nagahiro, says that the diesel-powered Type-R will live up to the Civic Type-R's performance standards. All that fun and 40-50 mpg sounds like something that would sell in the U.S.

Since we'll eventually be getting a diesel-powered Accord in the near future, maybe there is a chance that some day we'll see a diesel Civic on sale in the U.S. As for the Type-R hatch ever being seen in the U.S., we're going with fat chance.

[Source: Autocar]

Gallery: Honda Civic Type R hatchback (EU)

Honda says diesel-powered Civic Type-R in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.