2022 Honda Civic hatchback targets Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Ioniq! Hybrid power to return with new small car

It’s been two generations since the Civic was offered with a hybrid option in Australia.

Hot on the heels of the new, 11th-generation Civic hatchback’s reveal, Honda Australia has confirmed the small car will be available with a ‘self-charging’ hybrid powertrain, a first for the series since its ninth generation.

Details on the low-emissions option are light on, but we do know it will combine a petrol engine with an electric motor, as part of Honda’s e:HEV set-up, when it goes on sale locally in 2022 with the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Ioniq in its sights.

Prior to then, the new Civic will launch in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year with a carryover 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine, although it will come with higher outputs of around 134kW/240Nm (+4kW/20Nm).

Read More About Honda Civic

2022 Honda Civic hatchback coming soon: New Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30, Kia Cerato, Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza rival just weeks away from reveal

Why Honda Australia is ditching the Civic sedan and what it means for the Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla and other rivals

Honda Australia confirms new CR-V, HR-V, Civic, Odyssey and Accord fixed national driveaway pricing for incoming agency business model

Either way, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with simulated gears (paddle-shifters can be had) will combine with front-wheel drive.

Of course, the new Civic range will be rounded out by a Type R performance flagship with a manual transmission. Its international sales are also set to begin in 2022, although local timing is yet to be released.

2022 Honda Civic hatchback

In the meantime, the hatchback has a slopier roofline than the previously revealed – and not-for-Australia – sedan, although the coupe style of both body-styles has blurred the lines further than before.

Either way, the hatchback has a tailgate, while the sedan a bootlid, with both getting unique tail-lights. Otherwise, the former looks the same as the conservatively styled latter.

Similarities are also found inside, with the hatchback getting the sedan’s 7.0- or 9.0-inch ‘floating’ touchscreen multimedia system with wired or wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

A 7.0-inch multifunction display or a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster round out the hatchback’s simple cabin alongside an available wireless smartphone charger and 12-speaker Bose system.

Advanced driver-assist systems include autonomous emergency braking (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), lane-keep and steering assist, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go functionality), traffic sign recognition, high-beam assist, blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert.