The 2019 Honda Civic was spied undergoing emission testing in India last week, courtesy thewheelz. Its launch is likely to take place late next month.
The ninth generation Honda Civic never made it to India. The tenth generation car is already halfway through its lifecycle, and it’s arriving in our market directly in the facelifted avatar. India will get the body and interior from the Ayutthaya plant located in Thailand.
The Thai-spec 2019 Honda Civic measures 4,648 mm in length, 1,799 mm in width and 1,416 mm in height. It has a 125 mm ground clearance. The Indian-spec version should have higher ground clearance. Of the 1.8-litre i-VTEC and 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo petrol engines available in Thailand, only the former is planned for India. The latter, a turbocharged unit, was deemed too expensive for even the Honda CR-V in our market. However, customers here will have a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine option.
The 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 141 PS and 174 Nm of torque and sends drive to the wheels via a CVT. Honda manufactures the 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine in single-turbo and twin-turbo versions, but in the Civic, it offers only the former. The single-turbo version develops 120 PS and 300 Nm of torque. It sends drive to the wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission or a 9-speed automatic transmission. Reports say that the company won’t offer the latter in our market due to cost concerns.
On the outside, the Indian-spec 2019 Honda Civic should come with features like LED headlamps with LED DRLs, 17-inch alloy wheels and LED tail lights. Interior highlights may include 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with GPS navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone automatic climate control system, EPB, 8-way (driver)/4-way (passenger) power front seats and leather steering wheel and seats. On the safety front, expect six airbags, Honda LaneWatch camera and VSA in the range-topping grade.
Also See: 2018 Honda Accord - Motorshow Focus
The 2019 Honda Civic will compete with the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra and Skoda Octavia in India. Its prices may start in the INR 15-20 lakh (ex-showroom) price range.
[Image Source: thewheelz.com]
