Honda reveals 'sportiest Civic ever'

Honda has revealed the first official image of its 10th-generation Civic hatchback, which joins this year's new Civic sedan on sale in the first quarter of 2017.

Revealed here in this single rear three-quarter image is an overseas-spec 'Sport Touring' version of the Civic five-door, which is likely to be a sports variant one step down from the new Civic Type-R hot hatch that will arrive Down Under in the second half of next year.

The car you see here is likely to be called the Civic RS, since Honda Australia has confirmed the new British-built Civic hatch line-up will echo that of the Thai-made Civic sedan range.

“Like the Civic sedan, the Honda Civic Hatch, will be a very important car in the Honda line-up in Australia,” said Honda Australia director Stephen Collins.

"In the small car segment in Australia, hatches reign so we expect the Honda Civic Hatch to be a relevant option for Honda customers looking for the versatility of a hatch but with the proven quality, style and performance of a Honda.”

Although it's not shown in this image, Honda has confirmed the front-end design of the five-door Civic -- which emerges faithful to the concept that previewed it at this year's Geneva motor show -- is all but identical to that of the sedan, which was named the 2016 North American Car of the Year.

Honda Australia has also confirmed those similarities will continue inside, where both Civics will share their cabins and equipment lists.

“From the front, both the Honda Civic Hatch and sedan look similar; the interior packaging and features too will be the same,” said Collins.

As with most other mainstream small cars, the sedan should be priced pricing in line with the hatch. Currently, the all-automatic Civic sedan range comprises the VTi (from $22,390), VTi-S ($24,490), VTi-L ($27,790), $ RS ($31,790) and VTi-LX ($33,590).

All but the entry-level VTi and VTi-S models, which are powered by a carryover 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, come with Honda's latest 127kW//220Nm 1.5-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol four.

Honda says the new Civic hatch will also bring "world-class driving dynamics" and that customers would see clear similarities with the sedan, which Collins said has been a hit with both customers and dealers since May.

“Our customers have really been impressed by the interior packaging, significantly improved quality and luggage space of the new Civic sedan, as well as the performance of the new 1.5-litre turbocharged engine and proven reliability of the 1.8-litre engine,” he said.

Based on the same new platform as the sedan, Honda claims the new Civic hatch will be lighter and more rigid than before. As with the sedan, the hatch will come with independent suspension at both ends, sport-tuned electronic power steering with variable gear ratios and four-channel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake distribution and hill start assist.

It will also be available with a similar list of active and passive Honda Sensing safety features, including Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) including Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low Speed Follow (LSF), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS) and Road Departure Mitigation (RDM).

Other available features will include Honda Display Audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats and side mirrors, powered front seats and push-button engine starting.

The new Civic hatch will be built exclusively in the UK for US and European markets, but for Australia will come from the same Thai plant as the sedan.

What's coming from Honda:
NSX – November
Civic hatch -- Q1 2017
Civic Type-R -- H2 2017
CR-V -- 2017