Design Features of The New Honda Civic

The new Honda Civic features a new, flowing exterior design, with designers wanting to keep the sporty and advanced elements of the car, whilst revising them in such a way to give a more dynamic feel.

"We have lowered the height by 20mm and increased the width by 10mm compared with the current car," commented Mitsuru Kariya, Civic Development Leader.

"Defining the correct proportions was the most important challenge for the design of the new Civic," says Kariya. "We enhanced the sporty aspect of the design while creating a clean, dynamic shape."

Inspiration for the new Honda Civic includes a 'blended wing body' aeroplane, which sees the fuselage and wings blend into a single body offering superior aerodynamic performance.

This concept took the designers in a new direction, with the 'blended body' used to convey the sporty image, rather than relying on the engine power. An example of this is the new rear spoiler combination light that works as an aerodynamic spoiler, managing air flow over the top and sides of the car.

The interior of the new Honda Civic is driver-focused and creates a sporty ambience. "We wanted to create the feeling of a cockpit, like a racing car or an aeroplane," said Yukio Emi, the Design Chief of the Civic Interior.

"The key target was to increase the feeling of quality," says Kariya. "We have changed our approach to match customer expectations and European standards. The new Civic has a high quality cabin, both in the way that it feels and the way that it looks. Offering class leading boot space with the versatile seat combinations means that it's the most practical yet."