Fresh off its 11th straight year of record U.S. sales, Honda showed a sleek new Accord coupe concept that officials said closely resembles the 2008 Accord Coupe that arrives in showrooms this fall.

The new-generation 5-passenger Accord Coupe will be “the boldest, roomiest, most-refined and exhilarating car in the segment,” said John Mendel, senior vice president of automobile operations at American Honda Motor Co. “… This is a more emotional design (than ever).” 

The silver-colored Accord Coupe concept features a long hood, 6-sided grille, projector headlights, sculpted lower body and quad exhaust outlets integrated into the lower bumper.

The so-called C pillars?the parts of the roofline that extend down and around the car’s rear window?are intriguingly narrow in the Accord Coupe concept. This contrasts with vision-blocking, thick pillars that usually are around the rear windows of coupes today. 

While prices and specs were not released, Mendel said the upcoming production Accord Coupe will feature an i-VTEC V6 with the next version of Honda’s variable cylinder engine management system. It’s expected that the new Accord Coupe will have “a significant improvement in fuel economy.”   

Currently, coupe sales make up only about 9 percent of total Accord sales in the U.S. Mendel said he looks for the new Accord Coupe to be a strong seller, though he would not provide sales targets. 

Honda research projects growth in coupe sales in America as high as 34 percent from now to 2011, Mendel said.