TOV Member, kiwikungfu, was traveling in Japan recently and picked up the May issue of Best Car Magazine. Inside he found some artist renderings of a 2006 Civic Sedan. It looks like the artist has combined some features of the Civic Si prototype with clean and fresh lines from the current sedan. There also seems to be a mention of the new Hybrid powertrain using a 1.3 liter engine with the IMA. Tell us what you think.




Click on the picture for a larger image. Thanks to the Freitas family, here is a translation:
Starting from the left hand corner...
"The Civic will have a 1.3 liter gasoline engine with automatic transmission and IMA capable of getting 30 KM/L or better in fuel economy.

Over to the main body on the right hand side...
The Civic will be introduced this September at the Geneva(??*) Motor Show. New Civic will have a 5-door design. Japan themselves have long enjoyed 4-door cars for a long time. The first discovery of the 5-door is a design that the Japanese are coming to prefer.

The style itself looks like a sports car, but the main point is the hybrid feature. The system has the same IMA, but very sports like, the styling surpasses the previous Civic design of today. The design will efficiently be welcomed in today's great market place. "

Editor's NOTE: While the car depicted in this drawing looks interesting, and appears to be a fairly reasonable representation of the 2006 North American Civic Sedan, it's pretty clear that this drawing is not fully accurate. First of all, the one set of spy shots that we've seen clearly shows a front quarter window, and the car in those photos has been verified to be the real '06 Civic. Secondly, if you look at the side view/cutaway above, take a look at the front wheel placement - there is virtually zero overhang. And note Honda has repeatedly stated in the past that though long front overhangs are difficult to deal with from a styling standpoint, they are an absolute necessity for meeting their safety priorities. On top of that, with a transverse FF transaxle configuration, such wheel placement is also nearly impossible from a packaging standpoint. So this throws off the overall proportions of the sketch. The detailing on the sides and door cutlines appears reasonably accurate, but moving to the rear of the vehicle, we think there are some differences. In these renderings, the trunklid cutlines are tapered too much - it looks good and gives the car a bit of a muscular look, but we know Honda, and we don't think they would sacrifice access to the trunk to such a degree. Also, we're nearly certain that the Civic sedan won't have dual exhausts, nevermind triangular tips.
*As we all know, the Geneva show already took place in March. Honda has officially stated that the production version of the '06 (Euro) Civic will debut in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Last edited by JeffX on May 13, 2005 10:47