The 2022 Honda Civic Prototype we got to see last year got everyone excited for this best-selling model’s newest generation. In fact, that Civic Prototype looked quite stylish with its orange exterior finish and black wheels. Additionally, LED lights gave it a sharp look which took several styling cues from Acura.

However, as Motor1 reports, a new leak coming from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows us this upcoming model ahead of its debut. Surprisingly, it looks very similar to the concept shown earlier by the Japanese carmaker.

Is this the 2022 Honda Civic?

As mentioned above, this 2022 Honda Civic leak comes courtesy of the Chinese government. According to Motor1, this all-new model was undergoing a homologation process before hitting the road in China. As a result, the government agency completing this process decided to snap some pictures of the unreleased model and post them on its website.

As Motor1 points out, this 2022 Honda Civic won’t look quite like the car we’ll eventually get in the U.S. This is because different markets have various regulations on elements such as lighting and reflectors. However, since this is a global model for the brand, don’t expect any major changes. As a result, we’re likely looking at the real deal in these photos.

While the Chinese government clearly evaluated two different trim levels, both of these 2022 Honda Civic models look quite sharp, similar to last year’s prototype.

How does it stack up to the prototype we saw in 2020?

The 2022 Honda Civic Prototype that we got to see last year was undoubtedly a sharp sedan. However, given its prototype status, we expected to see major changes as the Civic worked its way to becoming a production model. However, given these leaked photos, we can see that this is not the case. While the prototype likely depicts one of the highest trim levels, the standard model doesn’t look too far off from it.

If you look at the 2022 Honda Civic’s front bumper design, they look almost identical. However, the plastic element directly above the badge is quite sizable. Additionally, the base model seems to have a slightly higher ride height than the aforementioned prototype.

One of the biggest drawbacks of last year’s prototype is the fact that it didn’t have an interior. While this production model certainly does, we don’t have any photos showing it off. As a result, we’ll have to wait for the global debut to learn all of the details.

When will this all-new Civic arrive?

According to Car and Driver, the 2022 Honda Civic’s official debut is set to take place sometime in the next few months. As a result, we won’t have to wait long to see its U.S. counterpart. In terms of pricing, Car and Driver estimates that this new model shouldn’t see any massive price increases over the current generation. For context, the current-gen starts at $21,250.