Feast your eyes on Honda's latest addition to the family - the new three-door Civic, a new variant that so far, is only planned for European drivers.
The removal of the rear doors means the new model has an even simpler shape than its brother - lacking any shutlines to break up the side profile. In this guise, the Civic looks purer and more rakish than ever. Further enhancements include sporty side skirts as well as front and rear splitters, giving the car overtones of the forthcoming Type-R hot hatch.
Adding to the sporty look is a glass roof, which extends from the windshield and almost meets the tailgate. Similar to Opel's Astra Panoramic, this will give drivers a unique view of the road ahead, as well as allowing lots of extra light into the cabin.
Under the hood, the three-door model is set to share the same engine lineup as the five-door, with two gas engines - an entry-level 83-hp 1.4-liter and a 140-bhp 1.8-liter VTEC unit - or Honda's excellent 140-hp 2.2-liter turbodiesel. All models will feature six-speed manual gearboxes as standard.
While the engine range will remain unchanged from the five-door car, Honda engineers will tweak the suspension for sharper responses, so it promises to be even more fun to drive.
The new Civic will be unveiled at the British Motor Show in July. At the same time, the wraps will also come off the eagerly awaited Type-R, which adds a host of skirts and spoilers to the three-door's bodywork. With power coming from a 197-bhp 2.0-liter VTEC engine, it should deliver the benchmark 0-60 mph sprint in less than 6.5 seconds.
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