Honda redraws Accord profile with fastback styling

Now the Honda Accord is joining the latest styling craze to sweep the slumping midsize sedan market.

New spy photos show that when the redesigned 2018 Honda Accord hits dealership lots, it will have more of a fastback profile.

The exterior, while heavily camouflaged, signals a more swooping, sweeping design throughout the sedan, especially in the rear.

The 10th-generation Accord will ride on the same front-wheel-drive modular platform as the latest Civic compact..

Honda's 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is expected to be the base engine, while the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder will likely be optional, meaning the end of the V-6.

Honda is also likely to add a hybrid Accord variant, either plug-in or standard, for 2018. A standard hybrid is more likely because the Clarity PHEV, which is similar in size, will go on sale in 2017.

The latest redesign carries a lot of weight for the automaker but comes as the U.S. midsize car segment has weakened.

In 2015, U.S. deliveries of midsize sedans fell 2.1 percent and through June 2016, volume is off 8 percent.

The last time the midsize car segment saw growth in the U.S. was in 2014, when sales climbed just 0.7 percent, according to the Automotive News Data Center.

Among the top-selling midsize sedans, U.S. deliveries of the Accord have climbed 8.7 percent this year to 169,354, behind the No. 1 Toyota Camry, with sales of 199,760, and the Nissan Altima, with volume of 172,695.

The redesigned 2018 Accord is expected to go on sale by fall 2017.