New Honda Civic on the way

It was developed specifically for the European market and will be offered exclusively as a five-door hatchback hopefully at an affordable price. The new model Honda will reach European showrooms in early 2012, here possibly by the end of next year.

New Civic hatch continues the design language of the current model with its striking exterior styling and funky - if plasticky interior. A stand out feature are the sticking out taillights that look like large red knobs attached to the rear quarters. 

As well as making a visual statement, new Civic hatch will also provide improved performance, technologies and be more eco-friendly than the previous model.

Hopefully that means it will have adequate performance and possibly even a twin cam engine with direct fuel injection. It took four years to develop and nearly all components are new or have been further developed.

Areas of focus were the suspension set-up, interior materials, new design styling, aerodynamics and the engines for improved performance and reduced CO2 emissions.

And there's a turbo diesel model in the European lineup generating a healthy 120kw/350Nm output. New Civic will be offered with three engine options: 1.4 and 1.8-litre petrol units and a 2.2-litre turbodiesel. All the engines are combined with a six-speed manual gearbox, ECO Assist, advanced fueling control technology and Idle Stop.

They are also equipped with hill start assist. The 1.8 engine can be paired with a specially designed five-speed automatic transmission.