Honda, which reportedly returned to the drawing board for its 2012 Civic redesign after seeing what competitors had in the works, finally showed ‘concept’ Civic coupe and sedan models at the Detroit show as Honda Europe, which makes the five-door hatchback version, insisted they were US only.
Of course they are, but they do give some idea of what a revamped hatch will look like after what the automaker said was “the first official glimpse at the styling direction of the all-new, ninth-generation 2012 model set to go on sale this spring”. Spring is two months away, this is as good as production-ready.
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“The Civic is known for providing a balance of ‘just-right’ packaging, fun-to-drive character and outstanding fuel economy, at a price that even first-time buyers can afford,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda. “The redesigned Civic builds on this legacy and promises to be the best Civic yet.”
Mendel told Reuters the Civic would compete in a compact car market that is more crowded than before. New entrants include the new Ford Focus and the Chevrolet Cruze.
“From Honda’s standpoint, it really kind of sharpens our spirit of competition,” Mendel said. “For years we’ve been several laps ahead in a 500 mile race. Now, there’s more and more competitors approaching the same lap as we are.”
The news agency noted Honda trailed every major automaker in the US market in 2010 with the exception of Toyota which had a series of recalls that damaged its reputation for safety and quality.
Including its luxury Acura brand, Honda’s US sales rose 7% in 2010, against an industry wide gain of 11%. Sales of Honda-brand cars like the Civic, which account for over half of overall US sales, were down 1.2%.
The Civic is Honda’s second-best selling vehicle in the US market behind the Accord, and accounts for just over 20 percent of its sales.
As automakers strive to meet more stringent U.S. fuel economy standards going into force in 2016, the compact and subcompact segments are “going to receive a lot more attention,” Mendel rold Reuters
Honda’s sales including its Acura luxury brand were 1.23m vehicles in 2010. Fourth placed Honda’s share of the US market dropped to 10.6% from 11% in 2009.
Mendel declined to forecast Civic sales in 2011.
For the US, Honda in a statement promised the widest array of engine choices available in the Civic’s class, a lineup intended to meet the needs of an increasing group of compact-vehicle buyers with a renewed first generation vision of a “Civic for all people.” Yeah, but it’s now about two size groups larger, guys. The US range will be a sedan and a coupe with conventional petrol engines, two sporty Si performance versions, along with one hybrid and a natural gas variant. Much as now and maybe a sporty hatch imported from the UK as has been done in the past.
Building on its emphasis on fuel-economy, most upcoming Civic models will have Honda’s Eco Assist technology, already available in the CR-Z and Insight hybrids and now expanded to non-hybrids, which provides driver feedback, including illuminated green trees, to assist with light-foot driving.
Honda also plans to expand retail sales of the natural gas-powered Civic GX model, which is the only OEM-built, dedicated CNG passenger car assembled in America.
The current, eighth-generation Civic has sold more than 1.5m units since the 2006 model went on sale in the US in late 2005.
That 2006 model won the North American Car of the Year award.
The current-generation Civic continues to be a significant entry-point to the Honda brand for younger buyers, introducing on average more than 90,000 new car customers under the age of 35 to the brand every year. Over 95% of all Civics sold in the US as of calendar year 2010 were made in North America at manufacturing facilities in either Greensburg, Indiana or Alliston, Ontario in Canada.
