---
title: "Next-Gen Honda Civic Leaks Way Before Its Official Debut"
description: "Sure, it's toned down from the last generation, but that's not really a bad thing."
date: "2021-03-11"
modified: "2021-03-11"
authors:
  - name: "Hazel Southwell"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/hazel-southwell"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/39712/next-gen-honda-civic-leaks-way-before-its-official-debut"
categories:
  - "Honda News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Civic"
  - "compact"
  - "honda"
  - "sedan"
---

# Next-Gen Honda Civic Leaks Way Before Its Official Debut

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/03/Civic-Hero-1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

We already knew that the 2022 Honda Civic hatchback and sedan would be [evolutions rather than redesigns](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/36804/2022-honda-civic-sedan-and-hatchback-are-evolution-not-revolution-patents>) after renders of the cars' patents showed less radical, more Accord-esque lines. Although the Type R looks set to [keep its meaner shape](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/33630/the-2022-honda-civic-type-r-keeps-the-big-wing-but-may-go-hybrid-spy-shots>) with possible hybrid power, the Japanese brand's mainstays seem a little more sedate with leaked images of what could be the Chinese market model looking in-line with those renders.

In pictures dug out by [*Civic11Forum.com*](<https://www.civic11forum.com/threads/2022-honda-civic-leaked.190/>), the car's hood is markedly elongated compared to [the outgoing model](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/29424/2020-honda-civic-hatchback-now-offers-manual-transmission-on-its-highest-trim>) and although there's no full-frontal view, the headlights look a little less aggressive. The sharp sculpting over the edges of the hood seems to have been replaced with a more gentle line, the car appearing calmed down overall from the almost spiky direction it had been heading in for a few years, like growing out your fringe in lockdown.

![message-editor%2F1615477467343-civicinline.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1615477467343-civicinline.jpg>)
**Via Civic11Forum.com**

![message-editor%2F1615464965315-2022hondacivicleakrear.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1615464965315-2022hondacivicleakrear.jpg>)
**Civic11Forum.com**

At the rear, the story is the same; the c-shaped taillights that made the 10th-generation Civic a little bit flashier have been ditched for its 11th outing in favor of a more purely sensible back-end. Although the rear doesn't look quite as diminished as you might have feared from the renders, it is a little bit tamer than the direction Honda had seemed to be heading in—although with none of Honda's [more modern, "e" city car style](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39326/all-new-2022-honda-hr-v-goes-hybrid-only-for-europe-also-looks-surprisingly-great>).

For comparison's sake, here's [the 2022 Civic Prototype](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37599/2022-honda-civic-prototype-dumping-the-angry-cyborg-looks-for-something-more-subtle>) and its, erm, extremely similar design:

![message-editor%2F1615475949839-civic1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1615475949839-civic1.jpg>)
*Honda*

![message-editor%2F1615476000641-civic2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1615476000641-civic2.jpg>)
*Honda*

![message-editor%2F1615476016727-civic3.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1615476016727-civic3.jpg>)
*Honda*

Honda's only promise so far on the engine front is better fuel efficiency and more power, but we can safely assume that four-cylinder engines will carry on as faithful to the line, including a turbocharged 1.5-liter.

Although the model leaked is believed to be for the Chinese market, it's a similarly safe assumption that the U.S. edition won't go too wildly off-course from this as it seems to so closely resemble the patents filed. We're expecting the production-ready 2022 Civic to be revealed this spring, so anticipate more details...whenever that comes.

*Got a tip? Mail me on hazel@thedrive.com*

## Author
Hazel is a writer specializing in electric vehicles and new fuel and powertrain technologies. She’s covered tech in motorsport since the inception of Formula E and has been a journalist for 17 years.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/hazel_southwell>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/HSouthwellFE>)