19 September 2002: The first European view of the new Honda Civic hybrid car will take place at Paris next week, and will show a car that simply doesn’t look like anything else than the Civic it is.

The saloon-only Civic hybrid uses 1.3 litre i-DSI petrol engine coupled with a thin and lightweight electric motor for enhanced fuel economy and added power when accelerating. The electric motor acts as a generator during deceleration and braking, automatically recharging the car’s battery pack, which is parked vertically behind the seatback.

Fuel consumption figures for the high-tech car, which will compete against Toyota’s Prius here when it arrives next year, are up to 40 percent better than a standard Civic.

The cognoscenti will spot aerodynamic enhancements that include a refined front bumper, a boot spoiler and under-body covers.

The car uses a second generation of the Integrated Motor Assist pioneered in the Honda Insight, and which is based on an electric motor positioned between the engine and transmission assists the engine when accelerating and recaptures energy when braking or decelerating (regenerative braking), allowing it to operate independently without the need for an outside power source.

When the Civic Hybrid is coasting or its brakes are applied when the engine is in gear, its electric-assist motor becomes a generator, converting forward momentum (kinetic energy) into electrical energy, instead of wasting it as heat during conventional braking. Energy is stored in the system's NiMH battery pack located behind the rear seat in the boot. If the charge state of the IMA battery is low, the motor generator will also recharge while the Civic Hybrid is cruising.

The battery box has been reduced in volume over that used in the diminutive Insight, and the weight has also been cut significantly.

The 1.3-litre engine uses the dual sequential ignition technology pioneered in the current Honda Jazz.