Dear Honda:

I've never understood why you dropped the Civic hatchback in the '90s. (Other than the mid-90s version got excessively boring). I was in Europe recently, and saw the Hatchback styling you have over there.

Frankly, the current Civic sedan/coupe in North America is a yawn - it's grown to the size of the '98-02 Accords, and the styling just doesn't do it for me.

The European hatchback, on the other hand, is one of the best looking designs I've seen come out of your studios in recent years:




* Pictures from Honda's UK website

With hatchbacks re-emerging as a style of car that more fuel conscious North American consumers will consider, it strikes me that it's a good time to make the Civic what it has been renowned for - a small, practical car that's good looking and fun to drive.

When I saw the Civic HB in the skin, my first thought was "There's a hatchback I'd consider buying".