North America is first to see the refreshed look and a new hybrid drivetrain ticked off for Kiwi use.

POTENTIAL incoming changes for the Honda Civic New Zealand is set to see before year end have been previewed by a facelift just unveiled in North America.

In addition to the obviously revised look, the 2025 car for the United States and Canada achieves a big technology boost, with an Android Automotive-based infotainment.

Provisioning in hatch and also sedan formats, the car comes out in the hybrid format already ticked off for New Zealand market introduction.

The powertrain appears as per the CR-V e:HEV, being a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with two electric motors.

In North America provision, this provides a combined 149kW, which is 14kW up on the CR-V as it sells here.

Honda claims the Civic is capable of 4.7 litres per 100km combined. A 118kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol is the only engine option for US-market non-hybrid models.

Unlike in the CR-V, where the hybrid powertrain can be paired with all-wheel drive, the Civic Hybrid is front-wheel-drive only.

There’s a driver-selectable regenerative braking system but US media say it’s not clear if one-pedal driving is possible.

Whether the styling detailing is set to be global or simply limited to North America is not clear.

Cars for that part of the world are built in Canada, in respect to the sedan, and hatchback (from the US). New Zealand Civic supply will be from Japan.

The exterior rework begins with a more aggressive front bumper and also lends a body-coloured headlight garnish and a lower front spoiler. The top variants run an 18-inch alloy.

The highest priced cars for North America also take the new infotainment with Google Built-In technology for apps like Assistant, Maps and the Play Store.

It operates on an unchanged 9-inch floating-look touchscreen with physical controls. There are also new USB-C charge ports, replacing USB-A.

In speaking to MotoringNZ.com this week, Honda NZ chief operating officer Peter Ashley confirmed Civic’s hybrid adoption and indicated the new type will release prior to Christmas.