Hot on the heels of the unveiling of the 11th-generation Honda Civic sedan, it looks like its sibling the Honda Civic hatchback is set to make its world debut. We can expect this variant to surface as early as November 2021.

According to a Japanese media source, the all-new Civic hatchback will use the same platform as its sedan counterpart, instead of the one in all-new HRV/Vezel (which, in itself is just an improvement of the exisiting platform). In doing so, the powertrain and major trim options can be spread across both variants. 

Interestingly, the global unveiling of the Honda Civic Hatchback will apparently take place in Japan, instead of North America or Europe (traditional strongholds for the Civic Hatchback). However, this decision seems justified because Honda no longer sells the current Civic sedan in the Japanese market, only the Civic hatchback.

In the rendered image above from Japanese publication Mag-X, the rear of the incoming Civic hatchback adopts a more fastback style, swooping elegantly a la Mazda 3 hatchback (not a bad thing at all). This design direction seems consistent with the spyshot of the Civic hatchback on Japanese roads.

One way or another, the 11th-generation Honda Civic will adopt a less boyracer, more mature design. Will it alienate existing diehards, or usher in a new category of audience? Only time will tell.