Everyone knows of the legendary Honda Civic Type R, and the latest iteration of the hot hatch has been launched in Malaysia. Enter the Honda Civic Type R FL5: powered by a 2.0L turbo engine that outputs 319PS and 420Nm of torque, this is the most powerful car ever sold by Honda Malaysia.

On top of that, only 19 units of the new Civic Type R will be offered for the whole of 2023, though more units will be available in 2024 next year. Bookings for the hatchback are now open until 15 October, but given the limited number of units available for the year, it will be sold through a ballot. The draw will take place on 20 October.

As for pricing, the hot hatch goes for a cool RM399,900; on-the-road without insurance.

With the FL5 Civic Type R’s 2.0L turbo engine that does 319PS and 420Nm of torque – paired to a six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels – the hatchback can do the century sprint in only 5.5 seconds. It also has four driving modes: Comfort, Sport, +R, and Individual, which is customisable.

Besides that, the new Civic Type R also has other neat creature comforts. It gets the full suite of Honda Sensing ADAS, Honda Connect telematics system, eight airbags, a 9-inch infotainment screen, a wireless charger, as well as front and rear parking sensors.

“The Civic Type R embodies Honda’s core DNA which is the racing spirit while at the same time leveraging our deep roots to constantly exceed ourselves in everything that we do and create,” said the MD and CEO of Honda Malaysia, Hironobu Yoshimura.

“A powerful and stunning-looking hatch that is exclusive and sold in limited units, the all-new Civic Type R will surely have a place of prominence in the market,” he added.

To recap, bookings for the Honda Civic Type R FL5 are now open until 15 October. The 19 lucky buyers will be decided via a ballot, which will be drawn on 20 October. All the best!