Our spy photos of the 3-door version show that this model appears even sportier than the already striking-looking 5-door version.
The ditching of the rear doors results in a simpler design with more flowing lines.
It definitely looks more rakish and ready to battle it out in the hatchback war where it has to square off against cars such as the Astra GTC, Alfa 147 and Audi A3, as well as the forthcoming Volvo C30 and 3-door BMW 1 Series.
The engine range will reflect that of the 5-door and sedan models but a red-hot Type R version is also on the cards.
The Type R will get a 2-liitre VTEC engine with a power output of above 149 kW and insiders say that this hotty will rocket from 0-100 km/h in about 6.5 seconds.