2016 Honda Civic sedan photographed undisguised

These photos were posted by user Mark on the CivicX forums, and were taken on the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan, about 70 kilometres west of downtown Detroit.

This latest set of images confirms that the new Civic sedan will look almost identical to the designs submitted as part of Honda's patent application.

The sedan also doesn't stray too far, stylistically, from the lime green Civic Coupe Concept that made its debut at this year's New York auto show. At the show, Guy Melville-Brown, the concept car's designer, told Car Advice that the new Civic will mark a return to the car's sporty roots.

Honda will unveil the new Civic in the US on September 16 (September 17, Australian time) before going on sale soon afterwards. Car Advice believes that the new Civic sedan will head into Australian showrooms from around the middle of 2016, with a Thai-source hatch following towards the end of 2016.

Australia-bound entry-level models will feature a version of the current car's 1.8-litre petrol engine, while sporty variants will use the company's new 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, which can produce up to 150kW/260Nm.

The new Civic will eventually be available as a four-door sedan, two-door coupe and five-door hatchback. Unlike the current-generation car, the new Civic family will all share a common platform.

At present, the UK-built five-door hatch and wagon employ a stretched and widened version of the Jazz platform.