SPY PICS: Civic ditches the cardigan

Honda is forging ahead with a new global design for its small car, the Civic.

The LHD mule shown here was snapped by an Automedia spy photographer in Germany, and despite the left-hook driving position, the British rego plates give the game away – this is a development mule from Honda's R&D centre in Swindon, in the UK. Honda's British design team is tasked with the development of the hatchback versions of the new Civic, which will be a true global design.

A coupe-based concept was unveiled in New York last month, providing a fair idea of how the new car will look in detail. Based on what we see here, the model is likely to be a little cleaner styled, and not as fussy as the current hatchback, which is sourced from Swindon for the Aussie market.

Production models will be available as three- and five-door hatchbacks as well as the coupe and a sedan. As we reported at the time, the new Civic will be lighter for fuel efficiency and will be powered by a downsized and turbocharged engine – a 1.5-litre powerplant offered with either six-speed manual or continuously variable transmissions.

Automedia expects the new Civic's larger dimensions will help fill the vacuum left by the Accord Euro.