The eagerly awaited production version of the all-new Honda Civic Type R is set to make its debut at next month’s Geneva motor show.

The UK-built hot hatch is expected to closely resemble the Batmobile-esque concept revealed in Paris last year, whose aggressive styling included a double-decker rear spoiler and carbon-fibre front splitter, carbon-fibre side skirts, engorged wheel arches (vented at the front) and a trio of prominent exhaust pipes.

Many of these features as well as the diamond mesh grilles, turbo-cooling bonnet scoop and wide-track 20-inch alloys with Brembo brake calipers have already been spotted on tge Honda Civic Type R prototypes being tested around the world including Sydney. It’s getting real close.

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Unlike the ninth-gen model, the new Type R has mostly been designed on a clean slate alongside the new Civic hatch. This allowed for a lot more design flexibility with the aerodynamic package, which will play a big part in the new Type R’s on-track performance. All of that lairy aero isn’t just for show, it seems.

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There’s no word on transmissions at this stage either, but the purists will be hoping for something along the lines of the Mk9’s six-speed manual gearbox.

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We can’t wait for the comparo between it and rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus RS, Peugeot 308 GTi and Renault Megane RS 265 – as well as the incoming Hyundai i30 N. The world of hot hatches is about to get even toastier.