This mag"s exclusive...

This mag"s exclusive pictures show that Honda is going for a much sleeker look with the new car, in a bid to attract more young buyers. And first impressions seem to confirm it will be one of the maker"s most dramatic new models ever.

A company spokesman told us: "We can confirm that a new Civic is in the early development stage, and it will take a more advanced and sporty direction in both petrol and diesel forms. It will also be built at Swindon."

And that"s big news for Honda; the current Civic accounts for more than half of the company"s UK sales, while the Wiltshire factory employs nearly 4,000 workers. Set to debut at next September"s Frankfurt Motor Show, the car will arrive in dealerships in January 2006. As the mag"s stunning pictures show, it will be lower and wider than the current boxy Civic, with an angular nose and front styling which echo the bigger Accord"s. It will also have wide wheelarches and a slanted, chrome-edged grille. At the rear, the car gets circular tail-lamps, again similar to those of the Accord - but it"s the Civic"s profile that is the most exciting view.

The mag"s spy shots reveal how the car will have a low roof and steeply raked windscreen. Neat styling touches include rear handles integrated into the C-pillars, in the style of the Alfa Romeo 156 and 147. The doors give the family oriented Civic shown here a coupнѓ©-like appearance.

The as yet unseen three-door model is expected to be even more dynamic in its design, with long doors, a narrower window line and a more steeply raked rear end. Engine choices will include versions of the current line-up of VTEC and i-VTEC petrol motors in 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre forms, while a new oil-burner Civic is to be introduced. It will use a Honda-designed powerplant, which will replace the current model"s Isuzu-derived unit.

At present, the 138bhp 2.2 i-CTDi engine in the Accord is built in Japan. However, Honda is busy installing an assembly line in the UK in readiness for its appearance in top-line Civic variants. It"s a move that will give the model a stronger foothold in European markets, especially in fleet sales.

There is also likely to be a high-performance Type R and, unlike the current car, this could be offered with either three or five doors. It will use an uprated version of the existing model"s 197bhp engine, and insiders hint it could develop as much as 240bhp to compete with forthcoming machines such as the Vauxhall Astra VXR and VW Golf R34. The hot variant will appear after the standard line-up, and is expected to debut at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show.