The Honda Civic hatchback prototype has made its global debut in Geneva.
The current five-door Civic was unabashedly designed with the European market in mind. However, that’s set to change soon because the next-gen model will be exported from Swindon, England, to the United States for the first time ever. Whether there’s a market for it here remains to be seen, but every example sold abroad brings Honda one step closer to turning around its struggling European division.
The leaked images confirm the five-door hatchback borrows styling cues such as C-shaped tail lamps and a discreet spoiler from the Civic Coupe that was shown in Los Angeles last November. It also indicates the hatchback features a raked roof line, which means it won’t look as boxy as the Volkswagen Golf and the Chevrolet Cruze Hatch. Its front end is all but identical to the four-door sedan’s, though the concept gains a splitter and large air dams.
Honda revealed last month that the hatchback, like all new Civic models, will feature a six-speed manual transmission on at least some of its trims.
Honda will show the Civic hatchback to American media for the first time in New York next month. The production model is widely expected to make its global debut at the Paris Auto Show in the fall, and Honda has confirmed it will join the sedan and the coupe in showrooms early next year.
Live photos by Ronan Glon.
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