Spy photos reveal 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback

The five-door variant of the new Honda Civic was caught by a spy photographer in Europe this week, giving us a good idea of what to expect from the new hatchback.

Honda revealed the design of the production 2021 Civic sedan back in November, staying mum on the powertrain, size and much more, including the design of its forthcoming hatchback, Si, and Type R variants. All we know for sure is that the new compact will debut this spring, and that the five-door model will be among those built at the company's Greensburg, Ind., factory.

These photos aren't technically our first look at the new hatchback — that honor goes to some snaps of the Type R model that emerged back in May — but this is the first time we've seen it without the aforementioned performance variant's larger-diameter wheels and enormous rear wing. While the overall design of the Civic may be a significant departure from the outgoing generation's, it's clear that Honda chose to keep the sedan and hatch designs fairly similar to each other yet again.

Looking at them side-by-side, the differences stand out a bit more. The hatch model (left) has more significant taper to its rear glass, which extends farther down the decklid. The wiper at the base of the rear will be the most obvious tell when viewed from a distance. Elsewhere, the two are tough to distinguish, especially in profile.

The sedan is due to go into production soon, so we shouldn't have to wait too much longer for details on the new Civic's powertrain and in-cabin tech. We also expect Honda to outline its plans for the Si, hatchback and Type R before year's end, though we're not certain yet for which model year each will debut.