The Geneva Auto Show hosted the unveiling of the next generation of Honda Civic Hatchback. It’s a model that has been absent from Honda’s American model lineup for eleven years, dating back to 2005.
The 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback was unveiled as a “prototype” but it is a near-production design with vehicles slated to roll off the assembly line for sale in the fall of 2016. The Civic is a five-door model, with four passenger doors and a hatch, with design cues that closely follow the current Honda Civic sedan and coupe.
In a statement, Honda’s head of styling for prototypes, Daisuke Tstamori, said, “The Civic prototype marries distinctive and sporty design, rewarding driving dynamics and versatile practicality.”
The compact hatchback market has been increasingly popular with models such as the Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Chevrolet Cruze, and Ford Focus Hatchback all making a splash. Honda wants to get in on the action, taking back buyers that may have flown the coop because a Honda option wasn’t available.
The 2017 Honda Civic hatchback will come equipped with Honda’s new 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and will likely be close to the same performance as the Civic coupe and sedan models which have 174 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. Buyers will have the option of either a continuously variable transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox for a sportier feel.
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For buyers who want to step up their performance game, the future will likely contain a Type R variant of the Civic hatchback.
Honda doesn’t expect huge volumes of the 2017 Honda Civic hatchback to sell in the U.S. but aims to attract new buyers to their flock. Jeff Conrad, Honda Division general manager, said the new hatchback “gives us an entree to a group of people that we haven’t been able to reach, haven’t been able to serve in the past.”
Expect to see the 2017 Honda Civic hatchback later this fall.
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