Here’s Our First Look At The New-gen Honda Civic Ahead Of Its April 28 Unveil

It looks more serious and fitter than the current Civic

• Honda had previewed the eleventh-gen Civic as a prototype towards the end of 2020.

• First look at the production-spec model reveals the exterior design looks almost the same as the prototype.

• It looks more serious and stately than the outgoing Civic.

• Honda will debut the new Civic in sedan form, with the hatchback version to follow.

• New Civic is unlikely to come to India any time soon.

The eleventh-generation Honda Civic was first teased towards the end of 2020 as a prototype. The carmaker has now given us our first look at the production-spec model with a single image ahead of its full reveal on April 28.

The latest generation Civic will debut in its sedan avatar, with the hatchback version scheduled to be revealed later in the year. In this sedan version, it looks quite similar to the prototype in terms of the more serious design. It has a relatively small grille but a large air dam which fits the sporty executive sedan segment. The chiselled character lines on the bonnet and along the sides give it an athletic stance as well. Compared to the outgoing Civic, the new one looks more elegant with the simpler, well-defined shape.

Honda is expected to carry forward this simple yet elegant design theme to the interior as well. Based on the early design sketch, the eleventh-gen Civic will likely have a clean dashboard layout interrupted only by the 9.0-inch floating touchscreen central display for the infotainment system. It is expected to get a sleeker design for the steering-mounted controls and a new digital instrument cluster as well. The air vents will be integrated into the mesh pattern design that spans the dashboard, one of the key highlights of the new cabin.

The powertrain details and various specifications of the new Civic are still under wraps. It is expected to get a new petrol-hybrid powertrain while a performance-focussed Type-R variant will also be included in the lineup. 

Honda has only ever introduced two generations of the Civic in India and the 10th-gen model was recently discontinued. It seems apparent that the ever rising popularity of SUVs of all sizes has dissuaded the carmaker from offering premium sedans here. However, the new-gen Civic might still be offered in India a few years from now as a rival to the Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Elantra.