All-new 2021 Honda Civic debuts, Malaysian launch to be sooner than expected

Here's your first glimpse at the all-new upcoming 2021 Honda Civic! Unveiled live on Twitch, this is the eleventh generation of a nameplate that spans 49 years. 

Sales of the latest Civic will begin early Q2 2021 in the United States and yes, the big-daddy Civic Type R will follow.

2021 Honda Civic exterior - sleek

Statelier - that's a consensus most of you reached when we first rendered the all-new Civic. Most notable among the visual changes is round the back - gone are the tenth-gen's crab-claw (ketam) tail lights and in place are straighter and sleeker units.

There's the expected LED headlights up front to complement a redesigned front fascia. Retaining its cool fastback shape (and the C-pillar kink), it does remind one of the larger, D-segment Honda Accord.

Honda's designers applied the design ethos of 'thin and light' - which means an exterior outlook with a low hood and front fenders and bigger greenhouse, good for visibility and creating an airy feeling inside.

Still, this is only a prototype. Expect the production model to have some changes when it goes on sale.

2021 Honda Civic interior - sedate

The 'statesman' theme carries over inside too. Still employing Honda's 'Man Maximum/Machine Minimum' philosophy, the next-gen Civic's interior is entirely different and slightly less angular than the outgoing generation's.

New touches in the cabin are honeycomb mesh accents, an all-digital instrument cluster and a full-HD 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

2021 Honda Civic performance

Honda says that the upcoming Civic will be based on an 'even sportier, fun-to-drive new chassis'.

Honda also says there'll be more powerful and fuel-efficient powertrains to drive the new car.

2021 Honda Civic safety features - New Sensing!

The upcoming Civic will benefit from a host of active and passive safety updates, including an improved version of Honda's Advanced Compability Engineering (ACE) body structure and redesigned airbags.

Meanwhile, in terms of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the Civic will receive an enhanced version of the Honda Sensing suite.

2021 Honda Civic in Malaysia?

Closer to home, the all-new Civic has been spied testing in Thailand.

As usual, watch this space to be the first to see more photos and info about the 11th-generation Civic in Malaysia.

Hmm, can I still buy the older Civic?

It'll be a while more till the upcoming Civic goes on sale in Malaysia. Meanwhile, you can read our roundup on the pros and cons of the Civic FC as well as watch Adrian share his thoughts with you.