Sneak peak at Honda Civic

TAKE a sneak peek at Honda's new Civic range, which is not due for its official worldwide unveiling until September 13.

While the sedan styling is evolutionary, Honda's designers have gone further out on a limb with the more radical looking five-door hatch.

Both models will go on sale in Australia in October and are expected to be powered by a new all-aluminium, 1.7-litre engine developing about 100kW.

The Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT), currently offered with the HR-V four-wheel drive, is expected to be part of the range.

Gone from the range - at least initially - are the three-door hatch and the American-built coupe.

That means base pricing should creep above $20,000, leaving the way open for a new Honda mini-car, expected to make its debut in Japan in late 2001.

The Civic range should also expand down the track to include a hot Type R performance model and an economical petrol-electric hybrid.

The new Civic is said to be wider and higher with a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. Honda claims better interior space utilisation than any of its rivals.

Honda is also claiming class-leading noise and vibration levels for the new Civic.

The five-door's styling apes the current mini people-mover style, with a distinctly different front-end look compared to the Civic sedan.

Honda will have its fingers crossed that the new Civic can maintain the sales volumes, which have played a vital role in entrenching the company as one of the top importers in Australia.

Honda has this year sold 5039 Civics until the end of August, 2000, while it sold 8163 in 1999.