Honda pulls wraps off five-door Civic hatchback

Honda has unveiled its first five-door Civic hatchback, which is expected to go on sale as a 2017 model.

According to the company, the new Civic joins sedan and coupe models and will precede the Type-R, which has been confirmed will also be a hatchback when it goes on sale in 2017.

Honda is expected to show a Civic Type-R concept at the Paris auto show next month, media reports said.

The Civic hatch rides on the same front-wheel-drive platform as its label mates.

However, only the turbocharged engine will be available. In LX, EX and EX-L trim, the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will make 174 hp and 162 pounds-feet of torque.

In the Sport and all-new Sport Touring trim levels, that output gets boosted to 180 hp while torque stays the same, thanks to a high-flow centre-mounted exhaust.

The organisation added that a continuously variable transmission would be available on all models, while a six-speed manual transmission would be offered on just the LX, EX and Sport models.

Like the rest of the family, the hatch abandons the cab-forward design that the Civic has had for years to give it a long hood and short overhangs. The new one is 5.1 inches longer, 1.2 inches wider, and almost an inch lower than the outgoing five-door.