Honda Civic Si Concept Offers Sneak Preview of Upcoming Best-Selling Compact

Rubber is the deciding factor when it comes to road-holding, and the Civic Si Concept doesn't disappoint. It features 18-inch

The Civic Si Concept features 18-inch cast aluminum rims wrapped in 225/40R18 high performance tires. (Photo: Honda Canada)

cast aluminum rims wrapped in 225/40R18 high performance tires.

Stopping power comes from four-wheel disc brakes incorporating large cross-drilled rotors and four-piston Brembo calipers.

"The 2006 Civic Si Coupe will be the most powerful, fastest and fun-to-drive Si we've ever put on the street, and the Civic Si Concept sets the direction in terms of its styling, package and performance," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda. "It's part of a new family of Civic vehicles that build on the already class-leading values of the Civic in terms of safety, styling, performance and fuel efficiency."

The one-off coupe features unique aerodynamic aids such as a full front and side aero kit, a rear decklid wing, plus a lower rear bumper diffuser with an integrated centre exhaust system.

When it debuts in production trim, the 2006 Civic Si Coupe will be generation six of the venerable Si designation, a name that

When it debuts in production trim, the 2006 Civic Si Coupe will be generation six of the venerable Si designation. (Photo: Honda Canada)

first appeared on Honda's three-door hatch in 1986. Additional Civic Si models followed, one in 1989, another in 1992, one more in '99 and the last in 2002.

So when will the production Si Coupe show up in the metal? Expect to see it in Las Vegas during the 2005 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in November.

When the 2006 Civic Si Coupe becomes available, it will mark twenty years of Civic Si production in North America.