Previewed with a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show this year, the hatch is longer, wider and lower than model it replaces, and features larger, wider wheels on a longer wheelbase. Honda is claiming class-leading cabin and luggage space.

It also marks the first time that Honda has produced Civics for North America at its plant in Swindon. The five-door hatchback will join the already-available saloon version in the United States and Canada, a model which is built at the carmaker’s plant in Ontario.

However, European buyers will be offered a different engine line-up. This will include a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a heavily revised 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel, alongside the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol which is also available in North America.

Sales will start in the UK early next year.