These Carparazzi pics of a Californian-badged Honda hatchback on test in the US desert under heavy disguise indicate the Japanese company is planning a Prius-style hybrid to sell alongside the current Civic hybrid sedan.

The as yet unnamed five-door hybrid is part of Honda's plans to dramatically expand its range of petrol-electric offerings, although, at first glance, it does not appear to be the low-cost five-door hybrid recently mentioned by Honda Australia MD Lindsay Smalley.

In these photos the hybrid hatch appears to use a body length approximating that of the Civic sedan, with elongated doors using exposed rear door handles rather than the forthcoming hatch's C-pillar concealment. The bonnet appears to be higher than that of the Civic sedan, too, with the diving lower window line arching towards a point between the upper front wheel arch and the bonnet itself.

Insiders say the car has strong styling links to Honda's ground-breaking FCX Clarity fuel cell five-seater. Honda has therefore gone to great pains to conceal what's happening at the rear, but there's more than a suggestion of the high-rumped, aero look of the FCX (and Prius).

Whatever, the hybrid appears to be a stand-alone model in the current Civic lineup with no direct internal combustion-power equivalent at present on the books.

The new hybrid could be expected to share some mechanicals with the current petrol/electric Civic. These comprise a 1.3-litre petrol engine and a CVT transmission to share power delivery between it and the battery-fed electric motor.

The source of the hatchback hybrid could determine whether or not it comes to Australia. UK and Japanese exchange rates, plus free trade arrangements that have seen us getting our Civic sedan from Thailand on purely economic grounds, will be a major consideration affecting the chances of its coming here. Only because it's unavailable from other sources will the upcoming Civic hatch be sourced from Honda's plant in the UK.

The Civic hybrid hatch appears to be a different animal altogether to the patchwork hybrid mule spotted testing in the desert last year, which comprised bits of the Japan-only Honda Airwave wagon and the more familiar Jazz light hatch.

-- with Carparazzi

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