Honda Debuts ‘Street Fighter’ Civic Concept Car

Honda debuts a sporty Civic concept car here, and the impending production vehicle will look a lot like it, says John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda’s auto division.

“It will be very close,” he tells journalists on the sidelines of the unveiling of a bright-green concept coupe at the New York International Auto Show. “We don’t do concept cars that are too far from production.”

Honda played it safe with earlier Civic designs. This time is different for a compact car that began 43 years ago as a basic form of transportation.

“There’s a lot of talk of competitiveness in the market, and everybody’s upping the ante,” Mendel says. “We can up the ante, too. We know a lot about cars. Taking this step will keep us ahead.”

The low and wide concept car features a shorter overhang and rear deck, longer hood, pronounced fender arches and pulled-back A-pillars.