Pedestrian Safety
Honda's commitment to safety extends to pedestrians as well as vehicle occupants. To help reduce pedestrian injuries in the event of a collision, the Civic's hood and fender areas are designed to deform if contacted by an adult or child pedestrian. Energy-absorbing collapsible hood supports, wiper arm pivots and fender mounts are designed to allow substantial deformation in an impact.

Front Subframe
To maximize gains derived from its stronger body, the front subframe of the new Civic has structural enhancements that improve ride and handling characteristics, while reducing noise and vibration. The front subframe is a completely new design with hydro-formed elements that substantially increase both strength and rigidity. Hydro-forming is the state-of-the-art method of creating complex shapes from steel. To make Civic's major subframe components, hydraulic water pressure forces the steel tube into rigid dies (molds) under tremendous pressure. The result is a precisely made part that is stronger where necessary and precisely the right size and shape. The subframe is attached to the Civic's body using special rubber floating mounts that minimize the level of road and engine noise and vibration transferred to the passenger compartment. However, the Civic Si utilizes stamped and welded components for the subframe due to its unique engine and transmission.

Aerodynamics
The Civic conveys an aerodynamic presence on the surface, but many aerodynamic improvements exist in areas that may not be obvious. All models feature a chin spoiler and multiple undercovers that reduce air turbulence near the engine, rear wheels and rear bumper.

The Civic Si manages the airflow even further and features a rear wing spoiler that creates downforce at high speeds, along with a brake cooling strake (a small fin ahead of the front wheel) that directs air across the brake rotor like a dedicated brake duct.

The Civic Hybrid and Civic Coupe models use a lip spoiler on the trunk that cleans up the airflow behind the vehicle and it creates downforce at high speeds. The Civic Hybrid also has additional engine and front floor undercovers for even cleaner aerodynamics. In order to accommodate the steeply raked windshield and its significant surface area, opposable windshield wipers are used that cover more surface area than typical wipers and the blade bodies have a flat design that makes air flow push the wiper blades firmly against the glass.

The Civic manages airflow for an approximate 5 percent improvement in coefficient of drag (Cd). Items such as the A pillar, side mirrors, wiper layout and the use of underfloor pans have all been designed to minimize air turbulence. These designs result in enhanced fuel economy and less wind noise. Other measures contributing to reduce wind noise levels include dramatically reducing the width of body seams, mounting glass flush with the surrounding body panels, and using double seals around all doors.

Source: Honda PR