Honda Civic is on track to unleash its 11th-generation onto U.S. roads when a new model will be unveiled sometime this year. The all-new Civic will be available in sedan and hatchback body styles, and sportier Si and Type R versions. Its styling is no longer a mystery thanks to not only the Civic Prototype unveiled by Honda back in November, but also a couple of leaked patent images.
Now however we have a working 2022 Civic
hatchback prototype spotted out in the wild by spy photographers near
Honda’s European test center in Europe. Of course, we’ve seen “this” before. A 2022 Civic Type-R prototype made
its spy debut last year in May, although if you want a clearer picture as to
what’s hiding underneath the camo on the regular variant, the patent shots are
still your best bet. Actually, it’s the prototype, but only up to the C-pillar.
The all-new
Civic will definitely feature a more toned-down appearance. The design is still
sporty and angular, but at the same time more conservative than before. Inside,
the new Civic will get a minimalist dashboard, with a 9-inch infotainment
display on top, a digital gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, and mesh
honeycomb accents covering the air vents. The new model will also introduce a
wide range of active and passive safety systems, such as an upgraded Honda
Sensing system to go with new airbag designs, plus a more “pedestrian-friendly”
body structure in case a person is struck.
The engine range meanwhile remains a
mystery, although we suspect that some type of four-cylinder turbocharged setup
might endure, at least on the Type R. Otherwise, keeping the
naturally-aspirated four-pot is also plausible. Without the use of its Swindon
plant in the UK, the Japanese carmaker will build the 2022 Civic Hatchback in
the U.S. at its facility in Greensburg, Indiana.