Honda has made no secret of its plans to eventually enter the performance parts business with HRC-branded components. This is part of a larger campaign to turn the HRC brand—now the global name for all Honda motorsports activities—into a performance footprint on par with Nissan’s Nismo or BMW’s M. And like those brands, it sure seems like complete production models will be sold with that performance badge, too.
Both HRC performance parts and HRC road cars were a hot topic at the 2026 SEMA Show, where the company showed off race cars, custom builds, and one very interesting concept. In an interview with Road & Track, HRC U.S. senior vice president Jon Ikeda made it clear that the Civic Type R HRC concept on display (seen below) was “going to be sold here.”
“We’ve shared with everyone that it’s coming here,” Ikeda added, “and we’re really excited about it. We have big debuts coming next year—at the Tokyo Auto Salon, a big debut there. We’re just happy that our region is included; there are a lot of people who are excited about it here.”
While he stopped short of confirming similar plans for an Acura Integra Type S HRC, Ikeda noted that consumer interest is strong and suggested that the company “[has] to seriously think about doing it.”
An HRC Integra may not be a lock, but Honda has already confirmed that the four-door Acura will join the Civic Type R in receiving performance parts offered directly by HRC. Ikeda notes that the Integra’s offerings will include wheels from 2Elle, the supplier of the forged wheels used on the recently-retired ARX-06 race car. Those, and other components, were tested on an Integra Type S at the Nürburgring Nordschleife ahead of the SEMA showcase. Ikeda mentions the value of these parts being sold directly by the OEM—a major distinction that keeps options open for owners worried about voiding a warranty or decreasing a car’s resale value.
“As soon as you accessorize,” he continues, “you void your warranty on things. If you own a Honda car, you do a third party purchase of a spring or something, you devalue your vehicle. By creating OEM parts, you’re able to honor the warranty when you buy the car, you can even finance it, bundle it up in your financing if you want if you do it at the dealership. If you have all the OEM parts to upgrade, it’s not a new business framework. Others are doing it. We have a very equitable brand to say, ‘hey, you’ve got OEM HRC parts, put it on your car, get your warranty, don’t devalue your vehicle, enjoy the ride.’ That’s a big, big part of it.”
HRC parts will begin arriving at dealers in the first quarter of next year. The HRC-badged Civic Type R should be revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January.
Fred Smith's love of cars comes from his fascination with auto racing. Unfortunately, that passion led him to daily drive a high-mileage, first-year Porsche Panamera. He is still thinking about the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
