Japanese carmaker Honda is creating waves in the automotive community thanks to leaked images of the upcoming 2022 Civic posted on the CivicXI forum. The patent renderings show a dramatic new look for the model. It's more aggressive, angular, and stylish, taking anticipation for the eleventh-generation version of the vehicle to a fever pitch.
Honda wants the 2022 Civic to compete directly against the Ford Focus, Toyota Carolla, and VW Golf. Because the car company has to replace the existing Civic and the Accord, the new Civic needs to be something of a chimaera. And that's precisely what the renderings show—the 2022 version looks roomy enough to be a family car but retains some of the compactness of previous versions.
In the looks department, the vehicle is different too. Gone are some of the more eclectic style features of the old Civic. Honda replaces them with more modern styling that brings the design into line with popular forms from German automakers. We see a more restrained aesthetic with less headlight embellishment and a grille that looks very similar to the one that you can find on the most recent Honda Jazz.
The car's front is similar to something that the Ford design department would concoct, with the striking masculine features. And the rear is surprisingly elegant if a little aggressive. The sloping rear window gives the vehicle more headroom and roofspace while helping avoid traditional, frumpy saloon proportions.
In terms of performance, we can't be sure from the rendering how the vehicle will perform. It certainly looks fast from the styling, but that will ultimately hinge on the engine technology that Honda uses.
We know from previous announcements that the automaker plans to electrify its entire range by 2022, so there may be a full EV version of the Civic when it launches. Honda already confirms that there will be at least one hybrid version probably borrowing the engine used in the current Jazz.
Unfortunately, the renderings don't provide much information on whether we can expect to see a full battery-powered vehicle with no ICE technology. Honda might choose to adopt other car companies' strategy of putting the battery in the floor, but it remains to be seen what form that will take.
Some reports suggest that the Type R version of the new Civic will use a similar powertrain to the one found in the Honda NSX. If that's the case, we can expect to see a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre petrol engine combined with three other electric motors, giving the vehicle awe-inspiring performance.
We don't know much about the interiors yet either. The patented images simply show the chassis. They don't reveal any clues for what Honda has planned on the inside of the vehicle. Given some of Honda's most recent releases across other lines, however, we can expect the company to switch up the dashboard a little, increase the size of the infotainment screen, and perhaps improve the steering.
Whatever the case, the 2022 Civic appears to be very different from previous generations - and that's always a reason to get excited.
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