Honda is giving its top-selling Civic a full redesign and from the looks of the prototype it promises to be a little sportier and more grown up, but holds steadfast to its classic styling roots.
The new Civic—entering its eleventh generation—will roll out in sedan form followed by the hatchback, the performance-minded Si and the high-performance Type R. Honda did not mention whether the Coupe body style will carry forward into its new lineup.
The Japanese automaker says the 2022 Civic will sit atop a new chassis that is more “fun to drive” and will have multiple powertrains that boost power and fuel efficiency.
Honda also is giving the new Civic it’s upgraded Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver-assistance safety technology and new airbags. Currently the 2021 Civic comes standard with forward collision warning, lane departure warning as well as collision and road departure mitigation systems.
The exterior styling changes center primarily around the upper body design and optimizing visibility. The tweaks include moving the front pillars back and relocating the side mirrors to the door. The cabin has been pushed back, elongating the hood and giving it a more upscale, Mazda-like profile. The Civic prototype’s new grille also presents more vertically—it’s a cleaner design compared with the current generation’s front fascia that sandwiches the Honda badge between the two chunky lines that run headlight to headlight.
As is expected from the Civic, it keeps its low-slung stance with a low hood and front fenders. The sides feature swooping fender-to-taillight character lines, which Honda says adds a feeling of motion even when the sedan is standing still. Overall the profile has a much cleaner, simplistic look and feels more mature.
The interior gets an overhaul as well, keeping with the minimalist and uncluttered design theme. The instrument panel has been streamlined and a mesh panel spans the width of the dash, a design element that also conceals otherwise unsexy air vents.
The standard infotainment display will grow 4 inches from the current Civic’s tiny 5-inch touchscreen. Admittedly, trims above the base LX in the current Civic have a 7-inch screen, but the new 9-incher still represents a vast improvement.
The Honda Civic is the best-seller in the compact sedan segment and the most popular car in Honda’s lineup. Despite coronavirus-related shut downs that halted production and deliveries, the Civic has managed to top sales of 222,800 through October of this year, according to MotorIntelligence.
The Civic’s lifelong nemesis, the Toyota Corolla, barely scratched sales of 171,000 units during the same period. Next best in the category is the Hyundai Elantra with sales of 86,530. The Elantra also is sporting a full redesign and a new hybrid powertrain, which should throw a little heat into the fiery competition among the trio.
The new-generation Civic will continue to be built between Honda’s two plants in North America: one in Greensburg, Indiana and the other in Alliston, Ontario, Canada. The new-generation Civic hatchback will for the first time be built in the U.S. at the Greensburg factory. Honda says it’s built more than 10.5 million Civics in North America, five million of which have been in the U.S.
The 2022 Honda Civic will go on sale late next spring.
November 26, 2020 at 07:18AM
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The All-New 2022 Honda Civic Prototype Teases A More Sophisticated Sedan - Forbes
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