Honda claims the ninth generation Civic which it will reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September is "more confident, clever and versatile".

The Japanese brand promises stand-out looks and class-leading space for passengers and luggage, plus low running costs and high reliability.

New Civic, to be five-door only, has been designed exclusively for Europe and has been extensively tested on the region’s roads.

Honda engineers concentrated a huge amount of time and effort improving ride quality and handling of the Civic, and through significant changes to the suspension set-up they have enhanced both comfort and body control.

To give customers the biggest cabin and boot space in the C-sector, the Civic retains a rear torsion beam suspension system – but the latest set-up uses clever fluid-filled compliance bushes to improve overall ride performance and handling. It has also been strengthened to give better stability, particularly at high speeds.

The first of five films on the development of the new Civic features Honda engineers discussing the improvements made to ride and handling.

The video can be viewed at www.honda.co.uk/newcivic