Honda may have the new Clarity PHEV and EV on display in New York, but the Civic Type R is the brand’s show-stealer.

Touching US soil for the first time in an official environment after it debuted in its final form at Geneva last month, the hot hatch is coming to our market and has more established Ford Focus RS in its sight.

It’s priced competitively too, at an MSRP of “mid-$30,000”, as the company said a few weeks ago, and for the money, customers will get a boy-racer aggressive styling, tweaked chassis with optimized suspension for sportier handling, and improved throttle response.

The most important upgrade revolves around its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder lump, which has been massaged to deliver 316 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm) of torque to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox that has a rev-matching function.

Honda are expected to release all details surrounding the new Civic Type R for the North American market, including pricing, options, performance and possible sporty packages, over the next few weeks, as sales are starting in late spring.

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