The new Honda Civic’s family is growing rapidly. After seeing the regular model in sedan form back in April this year, followed by the hatchback in June, the Civic range was joined by the sporty Civic Si just recently. New spy photos suggest another derivative will be unveiled relatively soon, and it will be positioned at the more economical side of the spectrum.
The photos you see attached at the gallery below were posted on the Civic XI forum and were taken by a forum user in Japan. They depict a slightly camouflaged prototype of the new Civic hatchback and it is widely believed that it has a hybrid powertrain. The test car has a disguise covering the entire front fascia, suggesting tweaks to the bumper and grille design, and some camo covering the rear bumper.
Gallery: 2022 Honda Civic Hybrid spy photos
Interestingly, the window trim is also camouflaged and the foil could be covering a new chrome trim, which is now considered a standard treatment for hybrid Honda models. One thing also worth noting is that it seems like the hybrid Civic has the same diffuser as the Sport Touring model, and there’s also camouflage covering the side skirts where a few more surprises could be hiding.
According to unofficial information, the new Civic Hybrid could replace the Insight which has a starting price of $25,210 for the 2022 model year in the United States. Word on the street is the replacement will use the same powertrain, which means the new hybrid Civic could employ a 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline supported by an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. The combined output of the system currently is 151 horsepower (111 kilowatts).
Replacing the Insight with a Civic Hybrid makes sense as the former is virtually a tenth-generation Civic sedan with small visual tweaks and a slightly longer body. It seems that Honda could revert back to a liftback body style with the new hybrid model as opposed to the 2022 Insight which has a traditional sedan shape.
The Insight is no longer available in Canada but it seems that it has one more year left on the US market. Honda has already confirmed the Civic Hybrid will debut next year and we expect it to go on sale in time for the 2023 model year.
Source:
Civic XI forum
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