The hot hatch enthusiasts may change from brand to brand but I assume a majority of hot hatch buyers will stick to the brand they're loyal to. Also, production of it is limited to 400 cars worldwide. Leaves plenty of buyers for Honda.
Wow that few? Yea, honda won't have an issue keeping sales. The Type R is limited production, but not THAT limited.
I agree with others here, the 'ring FWD track record changes on a pretty regular basis, part of the reason the Type R held on so long was partially due to the fact there was a speed limit imposed for a few months on the 'ring (due to recent accidents) that only just lifted like a month or 2 ago.
With the new platform (which is 300% more advanced than the fit platform the CTR rides on now) and revised mechanics i don't doubt the Type R will win it's crown back... until another hot hatch comes along and beats it again. lol.
Most people don't jump brands, especially over something as minor as a 1.5 second difference which in real world is basically a non-existent difference that'll be made up by better/worse drivers.