(Before I say anything more, hello to everyone here! I own a 1998 Honda Civic HX CVT coupe that usually gets 35 mpg overall. )

But getting back on topic, I would be EXTREMELY surprised that Honda would officially unveil the 2006 Civic so unusually early, and in the USA of all things! That is unless Honda has decided to radically change the design of the Civic compared to the current car and they need to unveil it early to get Honda customers "used" to the radical design; this was the same tactic that Ford used to unveil the original Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable way back in the middle 1980's because the design of the Taurus/Sable back then was such an extreme change from anything Ford had done before.

By the way, here's what I think will be the engine choices. Honda will use a highly-modified K-series I-4 engine block with i-VTEC, direct fuel injection and possibly stratified combustion in these versions:

1.6-liter version rated at 120 bhp (SAE), combined with 40 bhp electric motor in a second-generation Integrated Motor Assist hybrid drivetrain for the Civic Hybrid (four door sedan only, though we might see it on a five-door hatchback). The non-hybrid version of this engine will be the main engine for the second-generation Honda Fit to be sold in the USA starting Spring 2006.

1.8-liter version rated at 145-150 bhp (SAE), tuned primarily for better fuel economy. This will be the main engine used on most of the 2006 Civic models sold in the USA.

2.0-liter version rated at 195-200 bhp (SAE), tuned primarily for performance. This will be the engine used on the three-door hatchback (and possibly two-door coupé) Civic Si sports model for the USA, along with being the "base" engine for the 2006 model year production Acura RSX.

2.4-liter version rated at 235-240 bhp (SAE), tuned primarily for performance. This will be the engine used on the next-generation Civic Type-R sold in Europe and the 2006 model year production Acura RSX Type-S model. A slightly detuned version rated at 220 bhp (SAE) but with a wider torque curve will be used on the 2006 model year production Acura TSX's.

As for transmission choice, there will be six-speed manual (close ratio versions for the Civic Si and Acura RSX), five-speed automatic (maybe six-speed?), and a beefed-up CVT for the Civic Hybrid and the economy HX versions (if Honda decides to produce them, and only for the two-door coupé like it is now).