For the Japanese and European markets, the Civic Type R was adopted as the high-performance variant of the Civic, starting with the EK9 hatch for Japan in 1996 and then with the EP3 hatch for Europe in 2001. In North America the Type R name was never used until the 2017 model year with the launch of the Honda Civic Type R. Previous to this the Si label was the highest in North America(except for Acura vehicles). The Civic Si contrasts with the more track-oriented and spartan Type R, which has less sound deadening and amenities in return for better performance. The Civic Si has been positioned as more of a full-featured sport trim, featuring luxury options such as a sunroof and a seven speaker audio system.