MIMS: Honda adds two-doors to Civic

A British-built five-door hatch is the latest addition to the Civic range joining the current line-up of three-door hatch and four-door sedan. Due to go on sale in April the new car was unveiled to the public at today's Melbourne International Motor Show.

The Civic Si, as the five-door will be known, has the rear door handles hidden in the C-pillar to give the car the impression of being a three-door. Apart from that the styling is the same as the three-door hatch that was launched in Australia in 2007.

Power comes from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 103kW and 174Nm. It is mated to either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox and returns claimed fuel economy of 5.7L/100km.

One added extra for the five-door that the regular three-door doesn't have is the starter button from the Type R.

Prices for the Civic Si will be revealed when the car goes on sale.

Honda also used the motor show to release a new Civic Type R. The biggest change is a limited-slip differential which the company claims cuts over one second off the lap time around its test track in Japan.

The company has also added parking sensors, auxiliary jack for audio inputs, red lighting in the foot well and a new colour -- Championship White.

The MY09 Civic Type R goes on sale in March priced from $41,990.

But the Civic upgrades didn't end there with the sedan also coming in for attention. For the 2009 model -- unveiled at the show -- Vehicle Stability Assist is now standard across the range. There is also a new bumper, grille and tail lights to refresh the car’s appearance.

Pricing for the sedan range starts at $22,990 for the VTI, $26,690 for the VTI-L and $31,990 for the Sport model.