Honda Civic hatchback concept revealed at Geneva

Honda has revealed a Civic hatchback concept that previews an upcoming production hatchback for the European markets. The concept bears a strong resemblance to the sedan and coupé revealed last year, and is expected to be powered by a range of turbocharged engines when it goes into production.

The concept revealed has no interior, but the design may be similar to that of the sedan and coupé, which have a touch-sensitive central display and an instrument display incorporating a TFT screen. Details such as the concept’s 19-inch alloy wheels may not be offered on lower variants of the production car, though styling details like the double-rear wing are likely to be carried forward.

The Civic hatchback will be launched with a choice of three engines with the smallest being an all-new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol motor with output expected to be around 100bhp. The second engine on offer will be the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol motor from the US-spec Civic sedan and coupé. The third engine on offer will be a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel motor with power upgraded from the current unit available in international markets which develops 120bhp.

Gearbox duties will be carried out by a six-speed manual gearbox as standard with the option of a CVT unit. The hatchback is also expected to get a Type-R model in its lifetime with the car expected to use a variation of the 2.0-litre 300bhp turbo-petrol unit from the current Type-R. Civic will be built at Honda’s Swindon plant in the UK and will be launched internationally sometime early next year.