Mugen works its magic on 2023 Honda Civic Type R

It might not be long before Honda Cars Philippines Inc (HCPI) officially reveals the all-new Civic Type R. We already received reliable information about how many (initial) units HCPI plans to bring, as well as its price tag when it’s officially revealed.

Over in Japan, however, tuning house Mugen has already given the Civic Type R a makeover courtesy of exterior upgrades. Making its debut at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, the hot hatch concept sports a number of exterior add-ons over the regular model.

Right off the bat, the Civic Type R gets a more aggressive body kit that sees the hot hatch wearing a carbon fiber hood, a carbon fiber splitter that connects to the center bumper intake, and a number of what looks like functional air vents.

The front fenders, meanwhile, are wider and more prominent and come with air vents that may have been designed to cool the brakes. Inside the wheel wells are stylish alloy wheels that appear to be wrapped in a stickier set of tires. More (exposed) carbon fiber pieces can be seen on the side as Mugen installed deeper side skirts on the hot hatch, giving the Civic Type R an even meaner appearance.

But it is perhaps the rear of the hot hatch that received the most obvious changes. Gone is the stock wing as Mugen replaced it with an even bigger spoiler finished in black. The rear bumper gets a new diffuser that features a single centrally-mounted exhaust which replaces the usual three-pipe design.

Mugen did not mention anything specific about performance upgrades. However, we did see that the Civic Type R concept gets bigger disc brakes complete with Brembo calipers. There’s also the fact that the hot hatch appears to sit lower which indicates it might have a modified suspension.

While the vehicle Mugen showed at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon is a concept, the tuning house did say that they want to make the upgrades available for production. With hype for the all-new Civic Type R still high, Mugen’s plan to make the aftermarket upgrades available looks like a sound decision.

If you happen to be one of the lucky few who were able to reserve a Civic Type R, do you plan on getting some Mugen parts for your hot hatch? Let us know in the comments.