New Honda Civic hatch teased

Honda has teased its 11th generation Civic hatchback for the first time, revealing the car’s sleek side profile.

Expected to be launched in Australia in the coming months fitted with higher equipment levels and higher prices, the new Honda Civic hatch will take on top-sellers in the small car segment such as the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Kia Cerato.

The Civic hatch shows off the same long bonnet design as the sedan but features a sportier lift-back design that should deliver more cargo space than the current model.

The global reveal of the new Civic hatchback will take place on June 24, 2021 and follows the unveiling of the new Honda Civic sedan – which is not coming to Australia – back in April.

While details are yet to be confirmed, the new Civic hatch is almost certain to feature the same ‘premium’ front end design as the sedan, foreshadowing a cleaner if more conservative look than the current model.

As one of the core models to be retained by Honda – along with the CR-V and HR-V – when it switches to its fixed-price (agency) sales model from July 1, 2021, the new Civic is expected to be more expensive than the current model, which is currently pegged between $23,790 and $35,790 for the standard range.

The high-performance Type R is currently a $54,990 proposition, although production for that model has now ended.

The next-generation Civic hatch will include a fresh new cabin design, fitted with 7.0-inch or 9.0-inch central touch-screens depending on the model-grade, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

A 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster will also be offered.

In terms of engine options, it’s not clear if the current 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine will carry over, or whether it will be replaced by a more advanced (and expensive) hybrid version of the turbo engine.

The newer e:HEV powertrain integrates two electric motors with the 1.5-litre turbo to deliver around 96kW/253Nm.

The Honda Civic Type R hero model will also return to the next-generation Civic hatch range in due course, and could add an electric motor to its 228kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine to further boost performance.