Honda Civic gets its emergency facelift after successful launch

Ignoring critics can be good for business. When the present Honda Civic debuted in 2010, many car reviewers -- this one included -- derided it as a step back, lacking in driving character or interior goods that had once defined Honda. The buying public took heed and acted -- by restoring the Civic as the most popular compact car in America. Despite that success, Honda's admitting it made a mistake and rushing this revamp of the Civic to dealers later this month.

Honda says the facelifted Civic, coming to this month's Los Angeles Auto Show, includes a yet-to-be-specified list of chassis and interior improvements. The front of the Civic gets a deeper, more dramatic face than the current version, while the rear gets the flowing, wrap-around taillamp treatment common among Japanese sedans of all flavors. While it's hard to make firm judgments from two press shots, the revamped Civic does look more substantial -- and there's nothing at first glance that would make Honda worry all those Civic shoppers will consider something else.