Now this is a bit of a surprise: the upcoming 2022 Honda Civic may arrive here in Malaysia sometime this year in 2021. This was revealed by the President and Chief Operations Officer of Honda Malaysia, Sarly Adle Sarkum, in an interview on Honda’s very own WithDreams online magazine.

In the interview, Sarly was asked if there was anything “exciting in store” that he can share, to which he brought up the world premiere of the 2022 Civic. “Hints for 2021…tunggu (wait)…,” was what he said after that statement. It’s a little vague, but it does seem to indicate that we could see the local debut of the brand new C-segment sedan as early as this year.

However, it’s entirely possible Sarly is hinting at a preview of the 2022 Civic in Malaysia rather than a local launch in 2021.

Nonetheless, it’s definitely an exciting sign for those who are eagerly waiting for the local availability of the 11th generation Civic. Just like the Civic Prototype, the production unit of the sedan has a longer hood “for a more premium side view,” as Honda puts it. On top of that, the A-pillars have been pushed back as well to improve driver visibility.

In comparison to the current 10th generation Civic FC, the 2022 Civic’s headlights are also slimmer now. This, and the absence of the chrome (or piano black) grille certainly give the new sedan a more mature-looking design. If you’re not a fan of the Civic FC’s aggressive-styling, the 2022 model may just tickle your fancy.

According to the Japanese carmaker, more details on the 2022 Honda Civic will be revealed next week on 28 April. Stay tuned to Nextrift then to find out more about the new C-segment sedan!