New Honda Civic 2012 previewed

The recently face lifted Indian Honda Civic may still look as fresh as a daisy, but the Japanese car maker already has a new one planned for the US. And the buzz is that our new Civic, expected only sometime in 2012, will be very similar to the car in these pictures. The reason Honda are likely to shift from the current Japanese Civic saloon to the US made one for our India market? Simple, there won’t be a saloon version of the Civic in Japan this time around.

Slightly taller and less ground hugging than the current car, but instantly recognizable as a Civic, this car has a very similar roof, similar window line and similar ‘pop out’ mirrors. And the orientation of the headlights and grille on the nose is similar too. But otherwise the car is very different. The straight cut headlights are not as stylized as on the current car, there is a more conventional bumper on the 2012 US Civic and the rear is very different as well. The new car has triangular high mounted tail lights a higher and shorter bootlid, and the rear bumper again is more substantial as well.

The interiors are almost totally new as well. The iconic high mounted digital speedo and the blue colored tacho remain, but otherwise there are no bits carried over. There is a big chunky steering wheel with steering mounted controls, the central console is tilted towards the driver and by 2012 we should get the sat nav screen seen on the US car as well. The new interiors also have a more chunky and robust look to them, which makes them look more grown up.

Honda is likely to continue with the 1.8-litre V-tec engine that currently powers the car, and power is likely to go up to around 140bhp. However the focus of this new car will be improved economy. Honda has targeted a big improvement across the board, and they will incorporate a number of key technologies to attain this objective.

Extensive use of aerodynamic components like a sealed under floor and wheel flaps will be made and Honda may carry over their ECO Assist technology as well. The latter is an on board information system that helps the driver improve fuel economy by as much as 10 percnt.