This 2023 Honda Civic Type R Rendering Is Based on Spy Photos, Patent Images

Spied on many occasions with camouflage from head to toe, the next-gen hot hatch has also been rendered with great attention to detail.

Coming courtesy of the Civic XI forum, these computer-generated images were made possible by "spy photos from earlier this year and patent images" for the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan. At first glance, you'll notice a pair of ugly vents at the extremities of the rear bumper, right next to the rear quarter panels.

Despite their aesthetic qualities, there's a bigger question that has no answer at the present moment. Has the Japanese automaker dropped the fake vents or will the forums be once again full of people wondering if the vents can be cut open? Whatever the future may hold, let's pan out a little to take a look at the taillights.

I know what you're thinking, and you're arguably right. The full-width design has Dodge Charger-esque vibes and it's too over the top in conjunction with the rear wing. The quad-pipe exhaust system is also exaggerated for a four-cylinder turbo although Mercedes-AMG got away with four pipes in the A 45 S 4Matic+.

Speaking of the uber hatch, word has it Honda will hybridize the Civic Type R to 400 horsepower or thereabouts. One or two electric motors are supposed to drive the rear axle, enabling e-AWD under acceleration, but this report has yet to be confirmed by the Japanese automaker or by the prototype vehicles mentioned earlier.

Honda does use a three-motor layout and a twin-turbo V6 mill in the NSX supercar, but the Civic Type R is playing in a very different segment at a very different price point. Lest we forget, Ford Performance has recently dropped the Focus RS over the high costs of developing a hybrid powertrain. In all likelihood, the e-AWD hybrid rumor won't turn out to be true because it's too complicated and costly.

If we take Mercedes-AMG as the yardstick in the compact segment – which it actually is – then Honda can easily extract more performance from the 2.0-liter VTEC Turbo with a bigger snail or more boost. For reference, the A 45 S 4Matic+ peaks at 421 PS (415 horsepower) and 500 Nm (369 pound-feet).