2022 Honda Civic Sedan Spy Photos Seem To Confirm Patent Images

2022 Honda Civic sedan spy photos seem to confirm patent images

We've had surprisingly good looks at the 2022 Honda Civic sedan and hatchback so far, mainly thanks to patent drawings that surfaced on the internet. But we haven't seen it very clearly in the sheetmetal, or at least we hadn't until one of our spy photographers sent us the above photos. They show a prototype sedan out driving with what seems like production bodywork and minimal camouflage.

Looking at this prototype, it seems to match up well with the patent renderings. It has a longer, flatter nose with wide headlights. The trunk lid is more defined from the rear pillar. The taillights are also wide and thin compared with the funky boomerang lights of the current model. And in general, the Civic is looking more like a mini Accord. The proportions look better in real life than in the drawings, with the overhangs not looking quite so extreme.

2022 Honda Civic Sedan Revealed In Patent Renderings

2022 Honda Civic sedan revealed in patent renderings

We just had our first look at the next-generation 2022 Honda Civic hatchback via some patent images, and now CivicXI.com has unearthed even more renderings, this time of the sedan version. As expected, the front portions are about the same, but we're surprised to see how similar the two cars are up until the cargo area. And if the hatchback had some Accord similarites, this one is even closer.

2022 Honda Civic Hatchback Revealed In Patent Renderings

2022 Honda Civic hatchback revealed in patent renderings

So far, Honda has been careful about keeping the next-generation Civic under wraps. Quite literally in fact, since spy photos of the Civic Type R have featured a well-camouflaged prototype. All that work is out the window now, though, since the folks at CivicXI.com uncovered patent renderings of the 2022 Honda Civic hatchback. And we have reason to believe these images are correct, since they closely match what we've been able to make out from those Civic Type R spy photos.You can also see a couple more angles on their site.

The new Civic's design looks longer and lower. The nose most certainly is longer, and the hood line is nearly horizontal, instead of rising up toward the A-pillars. There's significantly more glass area with a lower window sill and quarter-windows in the rear pillar. The hatch has been lowered at the trailing edge, so there's no longer a split rear window.

Kawasaki Patent Application Describes A Three-wheel Vehicle That Leans

Kawasaki patent application describes a three-wheel vehicle that leans

Kawasaki is working on a unique open-air three-wheeler with a rolling body that can lean into turns, according to a patent application published by the European Patent Office and discovered by Motorcycle.com. 

Like the three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot — which just got an update including a more powerful engine — it seats two people in a side-by-side layout, but it has some key differences. Most notable is the ability to tilt inward into the turning direction, which the applicant says makes it "possible to realize a favorable driving feeling similar to that of a motorcycle or the like." And that's the whole point: to counteract the centrifugal forces that normally push the driver away from the cornering side.

2021 Acura Tlx Patent Images Show It Looks Much Like Type S Concept

2021 Acura TLX patent images show it looks much like Type S concept

Acura brought its Type S concept to last year's Monterey Car Week as a glimmer of what we could expect from the all-new TLX coming next year. Since then, we've had better glimpses of the sedan in unintended leaks, the first in Acura's own infotainment system, now in patent images from the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Discovered by French forum Worldscoop, the details in the grayscale drawings match the color image from the infotainment software, giving us another look at hotly anticipated sedan that will infuse much-needed excitement into Acura's lineup. Even though the images show rear bumper cutouts plenty large enough to house quad pipes, the patent is presumed to show the standard TLX trim, not the Type S trim we know is coming.

Even so, we can see plenty of Type S concept influence even with the less aggressive bodywork, such as the narrower upper grille and more pronounced lower grille, the garnish on the lower intakes, the side mirror design, and flared rear fenders. The rear end in the patent shows the same taillamps and decklid shutline, aero vents in the bumper, and the reshaped license plate holder moved from the trunk to the bumper. 

Yamaha, Gordon Murray's Canceled Sports Car Shown In Patent Drawings

Yamaha, Gordon Murray's canceled sports car shown in patent drawings

The mid-2010s saw motorcycle builder Yamaha release a couple of nifty little concept cars, a departure from its powersports vehicles and occasional assistance in developing engines for car companies. It led to the rumors that the company might actually bring a car to production, and it culminated in the beginning development of one with Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1. Unfortunately, Yamaha revealed that project was canceled before we even saw a concept. But now a patent rendering of that very car has surfaced at the European Union's Intellectual Property Office, and while it's cool to see, it also reminds us how sad we are it was canceled.

The car is a curvy, mid-engine coupe. It almost looks a little Lotus-like. The proportions suggest it would have been quite small, similar to the Sports Ride concept coupe from 2015. Though significantly more toned-down than that concept, this stillborn Yamaha bears some interesting design cues such as the flush door handles, as well as the Y-shaped character lines on the hood. Those lines echo design cues from both the Sports Ride and Cross Hub. Extrapolating from the Sports Ride, this unnamed coupe could have been made using Murray's F1-inspired iStream production process and featured a rev-happy Yamaha motorcycle engine.

Production Nissan Ariya Crossover Ev Shown In Leaked Patent Images

Production Nissan Ariya crossover EV shown in leaked patent images

When Nissan unveiled the Ariya concept in October in Tokyo, it said the electric crossover would not only go into production, but was pretty much the same deal buyers would find in showrooms. Now, new images purportedly pulled from Argentina's patent office appear to back that up.

Instagram account @cars_secrets spilled the beans with a series of rough black-and-white renderings, similar to those ones found recently showing the next-generation Rogue, that look almost indistinguishable from the Ariya concept EV. The only thing that suggests this remains more concept than production model is the lack of side mirrors.

Mazda Patent Shows Rotary Placement In Complex Awd Hybrid Layout

Mazda patent shows rotary placement in complex AWD hybrid layout

If we were playing alt-powertrain Bingo, a recent Mazda patent application filed in Japan would be one or two letters from victory. What's exciting about the patent, discovered by Japanese outlet T's Media via Motor Trend, is that while it makes a case for an internal combustion engine of any configuration, one of the drawings showing a rotary engine. The wild bit is that the whole powertrain comprises the ICE, a transaxle, two tiny in-wheel electric motors turning the front wheels, a third electric motor in the driveline, a capacitor, a lithium-ion battery, and three inverters. Motor Trend parsed the mechanics, and the way it reads, Doc Brown couldn't have done a better job.

The rotary engine at the front turns the rear wheels, but not directly. Instead of a flywheel on back of the engine, the drawing shows a 25-kW electric motor and an inverter, then a driveshaft running to the transaxle. Along the axis of the transmission tunnel in a normal car, between the inverter and the transaxle, lies a 3.5-kWh battery running at 48 volts. MT writes that the electric motor can add its output to the ICE output to drive the rear wheels, or the e-motor can turn the rear axle on its own.

Leaked Patent Images Reveal New 2021 Nissan Rogue

Leaked patent images reveal new 2021 Nissan Rogue

Nissan is planning to introduce the next-generation Rogue before the end of 2020, but the Brazilian government appears to have ruined its surprise. Patent images published online by the country's Ministry of Economy give us an excellent look at the company's next crossover several months before we're supposed to see it.

The images suggest stylists moved the Rogue -- which is known as the X-Trail in some global markets, including Brazil -- in a brawnier direction. Its front end looks taller and more upright, and it falls in line with Nissan's current design language by gaining thinner lights and thick u-shaped trim that underlines the grille. Out back, its hatch is more sculpted than the current model's and its lights are smaller. The basic proportions don't change. 

Tesla Sued By Sharp For Patent Infringement In Japan

Tesla sued by Sharp for patent infringement in Japan

TOKYO — Sharp has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Japanese unit of Tesla, seeking an injunction to halt imports of some electric vehicles to Japan, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The lawsuit, filed in Tokyo, alleges that mobile communications equipment installed in some Tesla models violates patents owned by Sharp, said the source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the issue.