Honda reveals 2012 Civic coupe, sedan concepts
Honda unveiled coupe and sedan versions of its upcoming 2012 Civic at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
DETROIT--Today, Honda drew back the curtain on a pair of concept cars. The Honda Civic coupe and sedan concepts sit at the end of the nameplate's almost 40-year history and offer us our first glance at what will eventually be the model's 9th generation.
Both concepts feature profiles that aren't much different from the sedan and coupe currently on the road, but they have more muscular sculpting in the side panels. Glaringly, the 2012 concepts feature more aggressive front ends, with angular headlamps sweeping back from their honeycomb grilles. Where the sedan features chrome bright work atop its grille--again similar to the current generation--the coupe ditches the chrome in favor of a glossy black strip that makes its lower grille opening look larger and more aggressive.
Out back, the coupe features a trapezoidal center exhaust. Both concepts are equipped with wheel and tire packages far too large for a car in the Civic price point. Perhaps, they'll make an appearance as optional Honda Factory Performance accessories.
We were not able to look through the concepts' blacked out windows to see their interiors or pop their hoods to check out the engine rooms; and Honda's keeping mum about details. What we were able to glean is that the next Civic will hit the 40mpg mark, meeting the Hyundai Elantra's estimates and besting Honda's own
Honda also stated that the new Civic would be available in a hybrid trim, featuring a new lithium ion battery technology, and as the natural gas powered GX model. Moreover, the Civic GX would see expansion from its current limited four-state availability to nationwide distribution.