The 2023 Honda Civic Type R will most likely be revealed sometime this year. Throughout history, the Civic Type R always came with a manual transmission, but a report from Japan suggests that the upcoming hot hatch could be launched with an automatic transmission.

Japanese automotive website Best Car claims that the Civic Type R will still be powered by the same K20C1 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that has graced the engine bays of its past two predecessors. This isn't surprising, since the engine has performed really well, delivering power in a linear fashion and in a wide rev range.

What is surprising, however, is that the same automotive news outlet reports that an automatic transmission will be offered for the first time, citing global market trends. This will be the first time that an automatic transmission will be fitted with such a transmission.

The news outlet did not specify whether this will be a traditional torque converter automatic or a dual-clutch unit, both of which exist in Honda and Acura's lineup. It is possible that the 10-speed automatic of the Accord that uses a detuned version of the Civic Type R's engine could be used, or the 8-speed dual-clutch with a torque converter that was fitted in the previous-generation Acura TLX.

Fitting the Honda Civic Type R with an automatic will bring it in line with other hot hatches that come with this type of transmission as an option, namely the Volkswagen Golf R or the Hyundai Veloster N. However, unless Honda has officially confirmed that the next-generation Civic Type R is set to have an automatic, these are still just rumors.

One thing's for sure, however. Honda is hard at work in making the Civic Type R the best front-wheel drive (FWD) car on the planet. It is also setting its sights towards the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R, which reclaimed the title of the fastest FWD car around the Nurburgring.