Honda Civic (2012): teaser info, photos and video

Honda's third new 2012 Civic announcement - 31 August 2011

And today Honda shows us this tantalising glimpse of the rear of the new Civic, a couple of weeks before its full unveiling at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.

It reveals an interesting rump clearly inspired by the (at-the-time) space-age rear end of the outgoing Civic, with arrow-shaped back lights seguing into a horizontal spoiler which appears to bisect the rear screen.

We'll see the full car on 13 September. The company has decided to issue a string of teasers - this is the fourth item of dripfed build-up.

We actually chose to ignore the third release, all about how the new 2012 Civic had better NVH refinement. Like, which new car was noisier and grumblier than its predecessor?

Honda has issued the second round of teaser information on the new 2012 Civic. There are new - still disguised - photos and a trickle of info, this time focusing on the new, upgraded 2.2 i-DTEC diesel engine which emits a fantastically low 110g/km of CO2.

The 2.2 turbodiesel produces 148bhp and 258lb ft of torque, so it's no weedy eco special. That 110g/km emissions figure is 29g/km lower than the previous 2.2 i-DTEC.

UK owners will benefit from free road tax in the first year, and just £20 annually in subsequent years at current tax levels.

The usual raft of fuel-saving tech has been applied: there's stop-start (said to trim 5g/km) and Honda has paid great attention to low-friction materials in the engine. The new Civic is also claimed to be more aerodynamic than before.

You can see the Honda engineers discuss the new 2.2 i-DTEC in the video player below.

Afraid there's a while longer to wait. Honda plans another teaser announcement in a fortnight, before the actual car is unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show on 13 September.

Honda has gone official with the new 2012 Civic. Sort of. It's issued this single disguised photograph of the new Civic, and a brief video with some background on the chassis development.

As yesterday's scoop of the Civic showed, the 2012 Civic will be a bit longer and lower than today's model. And there will be a new range of engines powering the front-drive chassis, eventually including a new compact diesel thought to be around 1.4 litres in capacity.

The rear axle sticks with a torsion beam suspension. Honda argues it give more boot space – something Honda claims will be class-leading – than a full independent system as found in the VW Golf or Ford Focus.

Honda engineers will bang on about their new fluid-filled compliance bushes on the ends of the twist beam, which are designed to improve ride and handling. The current, eighth-generation Civic has never been at the top of class for dynamics, an area Honda clearly wishes to address.

You can watch the Honda engineers talking about the new suspension in the short film below.

After a long teaser campaign. Expect a series of mini announcements before we see the car for real on 13 September at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show.

The new, ninth-generation Honda Civic goes on UK sale in spring 2012.

By Tim Pollard