Honda has taken center stage at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, where it unveiled a handful of new concepts and prototypes, one of which includes the Honda Civic e:HEV with S+ Shift. We’re excited.
The Civic will become only the second model in the lineup to get S+ Shift after the Prelude. It’s set to go into production this year, and Honda expects sales to begin in Japan before the year ends.
If you’re not familiar with S+ Shift, it’s a new control technology intended to revolutionize how hybrids drive. It intends to simulate a stepped manual transmission to improve hybrid performance, and ultimately, make an e:HEV vehicle more enjoyable to drive. We’ve yet to fully try it out, but our executive editor Sheng Banzon was able to give it a go at none other than Honda’s Proving Grounds in Tochigi, Japan last year
OTHER STORIES FROM THE 2026 TOKYO AUTO SALON:
TAS 2026: Gazoo Racing’s new mid-engined car is a...kei truck?
TAS 2026: Toyoda has done it again—meet the limited-edition Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR
The model currently on display at TAS, however, is just a prototype. So while we don’t see any visual changes apart from the bright, eye-catching livery yet, we still can’t say for certain whether or not Honda will make any cosmetic tweaks to this upcoming Civic. All we know is that this prototype’s design pays homage to the original Civic that won the All-Japan Touring Car Championship three decades ago.
So, will this make it to the Philippines? We’re already getting the Prelude, anyway, so Honda should just bring this Civic to our market, too. It’s basically our 2025 Car of the Year, made even better—we don’t know about you, but we like the sound of that.
