---
title: "Next-Gen Honda Civic Spotted Without Camo on the Street"
description: "You've seen the prototype and cloaked versions; here's what it looks like in the wild."
date: "2021-03-21"
modified: "2021-03-21"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin V. Shaw"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kristin-shaw"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/39878/next-gen-honda-civic-spotted-without-camo-on-the-street"
categories:
  - "Honda News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Civic"
  - "compact"
  - "honda"
  - "sedan"
---

# Next-Gen Honda Civic Spotted Without Camo on the Street

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

The [Civic-obsessed private eyes at CivicXI.com](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/36804/2022-honda-civic-sedan-and-hatchback-are-evolution-not-revolution-patents>) have done it again with a look at the 11th-generation Honda compact sedan. This time, one of their spy cameras captured the [2022 Civic](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/39712/next-gen-honda-civic-leaks-way-before-its-official-debut>) without its camouflage cloak in advance of its official reveal at the Shanghai Auto Show in April.

Beijing-based CivicXI.com forum poster Yu says the front of the new Civic “presents a radical design, which creates a good sense of movement.” Grainy capture notwithstanding, this is our best look at the new Civic on the street and the people surrounding the sedan offer a good reference for the actual size.

![message-editor%2F1616344441128-hondacivicinline.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1616344441128-hondacivicinline.jpg>)
**[civicxi.com](<https://civicxi.com/>)**

[As we reported last year, Honda took away the Civic sedan's manual gearbox](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/37125/the-honda-civics-manual-gearbox-is-dead-for-2021>) for model year 2021. It seems Honda is leaning more toward a straight comfort sedan than the insouciant runabout it has been in some past iterations. Honda advertises the 2022 with a “sportier chassis.” However, in the uncovered version the front fascia of the Chinese version appears more subdued, the lines of the flanks gentler, and the tamed-down rear end suggests that Honda is gearing the 11-gen Civic for customers who grew up with it and want something slightly more mature.

The first new car I ever bought was a 1996 Honda Civic Coupe EX, and it’s unfortunate that the sporty two-door version was canceled in 2021 due to low sales. Take heart, though, because we’re expecting Si and Type R versions to emerge at some point; fans like me appreciate the [Type R for its stellar clutch action](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/38842/honda-type-r>) as well as more-aggressive styling. The Type R would be a great starter car for drivers new to manual transmission but with supervision: it has a ton of power for such a small car.

According to Yu on the [CivicXI forum page](<https://www.civicxi.com/forum/threads/all-new-gen11-civic-sedan-first-real-shot-in-the-wild-%F0%9F%98%8D.49763/>), the 11th-generation Civic is produced in China by Dongfeng Honda and GAC Honda. Between the Chinese market and North American market, there will be two versions with slight modifiations in appearance; I don’t expect them to be vastly different.

The new Civic sedan will be available to the Chinese market soon and the U.S. market later this spring.

*Got a tip? Send the writer a note: kristin.shaw@thedrive.com*

## Author
Kristin Shaw is the former Weekend Editor for The Drive and a current freelancer in both the automotive and aviation worlds. She’s a big fan of anything car-related and calls on her technology background on the corporate side to explain engineering and high-tech concepts. Now living in her sixth state (New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and now Texas), she is thrilled that working from home is now mainstream.

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