Honda's chief engineer has reportedly confirmed to U.K. car magazine Autocar that a "Type R style" Civic is under development. This is actually surprising news, considering Honda said they'd ruled out a new Civic Type R hot hatch due to it not meeting the company's new criteria for mass market, environmentally friendly cars. But this was before Mitsuru Kariya, Honda's new chief engineer, got the job and now wants to reestablish the Japanese automaker's racing credentials.

No word yet on whether they'll go with the Type R name again or whether it'll be sold in the U.S. While the latter is unlikely, the Type R brand was a great success in the U.K. It combined Honda's VTEC engine with a sophisticated independent rear suspension. Autocar also stated that at one point, the Type R accounted for 15 percent of Honda's total Civic U.K. sales.