I’ve always liked the Honda Civic EG hatchback. I love the way it looks and how fun it is to drive especially when you swap the legendary B-series engines into it. But Honda let that car die a natural death with the EK sedan (at least in our market). During the 2018 Philippine International Motor Show, however, I saw glimpses of the old EG Civic with the Small RS Concept on display at the Honda booth. And the EG magic might just come back to our shores sooner than later with the second-generation Brio.

The all-new Brio was launched at the 2018 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show a few months ago. The Small RS Concept before it had given a sneak peek of the next iteration of Honda’s supermini. And so, the new Brio arrived and was sold exclusively in Indonesia. That is, until now. PT Honda Prospect Motor, which makes the Brio, has just announced plans to export the car to other Southeast Asian countries in 2019 beginning with Vietnam.

Honda has completely redesigned the Brio, giving it the aggressive, sporty look that the car’s previous generation sorely lacked. It also benefits from a slightly larger cabin and luggage space, making the tiny Honda a better proposition when it comes to pint-sized family transportation. In Indonesia, the car is powered by a 1.2-liter in-line-four good for 89hp, but if the current Philippine-market Brio is anything to go by, it is likely that the more powerful 1.3-liter i-VTEC engine will be retained.

With the popularity of fuel-efficient superminis in the country, it’s just a matter of time until local Honda dealers bring in the new Brio. I personally would want the car in the sporty RS variant that is being offered in Indonesia. But with or without the RS trim, the new Brio would give me the modern-day version of the EG Civic that I’ve always wanted.