The new Honda Civic will look like this

This, ladies and gentlemen, is your first look at the new Honda Civic. Due to arrive in European markets in the autumn of 2022, the task of this eleventh-generation model is simple: keep doing what the previous ten did.

You see, the Civic is one of the most successful cars in history. First launched in 1972, more than 27 million units have been shifted in the half a century since, a figure only a handful of other vehicles can claim to have beaten.

The big news is that the Civic will be going hybrid only, following in the tyre tracks of the latest Jazz supermini, Jazz Crosstar, CR-V SUV and the soon-to-be-released HR-V crossover.

Honda reckons the electrification of the Civic will make good on its promise to go hybrid only on all of its mainstream models in Europe before the end of next year.

The Japanese manufacturer says the new Civic will use a version of the brand’s e:HEV powertrain, which will mean a pair of electric motors acting as mechanical butlers to a petrol combustion engine.

Honda claims this provides “the perfect blend of fun-to-drive performance and efficiency”, although if the CR-V is anything to go by the driving experience will be, er, relatively flavourless.

Performance details are being kept under wraps for now, which leaves us to digest the evolution of the exterior styling. The new car looks sleeker than the current model with a sloping roofline, and the designers have been to town on the grille, headlights, taillights and pretty much everything else too. The rear wing on the existing car appears to have been axed.

The fresh look also makes us wonder about the implications for the next-generation Civic Type R hot hatch. The current car got mixed reviews for its bonkers styling, but earned worldwide acclaim for its performance. If it’s a choice between the two, we’ll take the latter please.