2022 Honda Civic e:HEV hybrid spied

The 2022 Honda Civic e:HEV has been spotted for the first time in Japan, ahead of the hybrid’s official unveiling.

While Honda has already shown off the Civic hatch in June, this is the first time we’ve seen the petrol-electric hybrid variant, which will go head-to-head with the Toyota Corolla Hybrid when it arrives in the coming months.

Thought yet to be confirmed by Honda, it’s expected the Civic e:HEV will be powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine mated to a pair of electric motors to produce 96kW and 253Nm – driving on battery-only power at low speed, before switching to petrol at higher speeds.

5

These images, posted to Twitter by @Rain_sti and published on Japanese website Creative311, show the Civic e:HEV wearing the same black 18-inch alloy wheels shown on the Civic Si sedan launched in the US last week.

The light camouflage on the front-end and around the windows suggests the hybrid will enjoy some minor exterior styling changes over the petrol model, though it’s unlikely the e:HEV will be a radical departure from the standard Civic.

Speaking to Wheels in September, Honda Australia boss Stephen Collins confirmed the electrified version would closely follow the Civic’s launch in the latter part of this year.