Honda unveiled the new 2012 Civic earlier this year and boy were they whipped for the new design. The Civic always conjures up images of a modern, class leading sedan that is radical and an eye candy to look.
Unfortunately, the new Civic’s design was not at all impressive. Most international press gave the design a thumbs down.
Then came reports from the ‘Consumer Reports’, an organization in the US that reviews new products for the consumers, which stated that the new Civic is below par with its competitors. The organization questioned the ride, handling and performance of the new Civic. But more importantly Consumer Reports questioned the build quality (Honda’s USP) which was not at all acceptable.
After listening to the criticism and looking at the dwindling sales figures, Honda has decided to facelift the Civic a year earlier than planned. Honda was supposed to facelift the Civic in 2014, but due to excessive criticism Honda will now facelift it in 2013. It will have to address issues like the ride, build quality and design in the new facelifted model for it to succeed.
IAB reader Arjun Shrie who lives in the UAE dropped into a Honda showroom last week to get a glimpse of the new Civic that’s just arrived at the dealers. The new Civic will come to India next year, perhaps with the same powertrain. Details are sketchy at this point, but here’s Arjun’s two cents on the new Civic.
The 2012 Civic is out in showrooms here in UAE but only limited number of cars are available. Just 30 vehicles have been supplied to all of UAE which will be sold on first come basis.
The limited numbers are due to the production crunch in Japan. I was told that the Civic is in high demand and 20 of them are already booked. By the time you are reading this, all 30 would have found Arab homes.
Here’s a picture tweeted by Auto123 comparing the new Civic with the old one. The new Civic has been put on sale in some parts of the world and we’re expecting it to land here in 2012. A Honda official from Britain remarked that Honda’ working on a small diesel engine for the next generation Jazz and the new Civic for an early 2013 debut.
Honda’s reduced the Civic’ wheelbase by a small margin and as a result the rear seat comfort should be affected, but by how much we can’t say at this point. Honda can offer the 150bhp i-DTEC diesel engine upgraded to meet current emission norms for European countries, but that’s unlikely for the Indian market.
Noticeably the ground clearance has gone up and the the dashboard has been tilted towards the driver. This will make for an ergonomic cockpit and a stress-free driving experience on Indian cities with sky-scraping speed bumps and craters from the moon.
Comparing the images, do you think Honda’ moved ahead with the new Civic? What do you think it could have done better?
SRK’s used CAR Magazine’s coverage of the new Civic testing with almost no camouflage to illustrate its road presence. At the Detroit Motor Show earlier this week, Honda lifted covers of Civic sedan and Coupe CONCEPTS. The model shown was nearly production ready, but the fact remains that these are concept cars. India will get the North American version of the Civic (there’s the European version too). The Civic has [ Read More ]
The Detroit Motor show is LIVE and with it are some many cars. The best part about this year’s Detroit motor is that majority car which will be revealed will be global cars which sooner or later will find their way to India. Yesterday, we brought you the new Aveo sedan (a.k.a The Sonic) that should debut in India. Today, we bring you what you always wanted to know – [ Read More ]
The most important C segment car in the world – Honda Civic (only second to the Toyota Corolla) is a car the world has its eyes on. The 2012 model (codenamed – 2HC) will be the 9th successful generation.
Rumors are rife that the 2012 Honda Civic will get a 1.5-liter gasoline-powered engine from Honda CR-Z mated to either an automatic CVT transmission or six-speed manual. The new car will come in a hybrid model and Honda is working on a compact diesel engine for the Civic.
Looking at history, we believe that the different markets in Japan, Europe, and America, will get their own variant of the Civic. The spyshots, till date, reveal a new grille and bumper appear up front, while out back we have all-new taillamps. The new Civic has been spotted testing all around the world and we expect a formal launch early next year and follow to India by the beginning of 2012.
Japanese tuning legend Mugen might just lay its hands on the Honda Civic and what might come out of this is anyone’s guess, a sheer powerhouse Mugen Honda Civic RR expected to rip the roads off.
Mugen will be striping extra weight off the car and boost the power to 240hp that pretty much will do the trick, if not then the big 18-inch alloys, upgraded Brembo brakes, Recaro sports seats and specifically re-tuned suspension ought to do it.
Of course all this high end tweaking doesn’t come cheap. The Mugen Honda Civic RR is expected to cost Rs. 27 lakhs. But befoe all we Indians get excited about this, it will be sold only in the European market.
Like how the 270 bhp Accord made it to India, the Mugen-treated Honda Civic could serve as a limited edition. After cars like the Honda Civic Hybrid, we infer the company isn’t necessarily against experimenting, which gives us confidence to say there is a chance for such a car.
With BMW selling its M models in the country and Mercedes with its complete AMG lineup, why can’t Honda ship Mugen cars and cash in on the performance market?
Honda unveiled the new 2012 Civic earlier this year and boy were they whipped for the new design. The Civic always conjures up images of a modern, class leading sedan that is radical and an eye candy to look.
