American Honda Motor has announced more details of the British built, 10th generation 2017 Civic hatchback which will supplement the North American-made sedan and coupe models launched earlier this year.
"The Civic hatchback, scheduled to arrive this fall at dealers nationwide, also will serve as the basis for the radical new Civic Type-R launching in the US in 2017," the automaker said in a statement.
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"The hatch has been a staple for Honda in Europe but has long been the forbidden fruit for Honda fans in the US," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda division of American Honda Motor. "Now, we're bringing this sporty, stylish and versatile hatchback to North America…".
Early Civics (the first was assembled in Japan in 1972) were sold as hatchbacks (and wagons) in the US but more recently the range has centred around sedans and coupes. Honda UK previously shipped an 'Si' hatchback to the US starting in 2001.
Conrad appears to have forgotten this is not the first , as we amp up the performance of our incredible Civic lineup with each new Civic model."
The US hatchback will be offered with LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Sport Touring with, as previously announced, a single engine for the market: a 1.5-litre DOHC direct-injected turbocharged I4 with peak output of 174 horsepower and 162 lb-ft. of torque in LX, EX and EX-L trims and 180 horsepower and 162 lb-ft. of torque in the Sport and an new Sport Touring grade which has a high-flow, centre-mounted exhaust.
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By GlobalDataThe 1.5 will be offered with either CVT (all trims) or a "performance-inspired" six-speed manual transmission (LX, Sport, and EX). Anticipated EPA fuel economy ratings of 31/40/34mpg (city/highway/combined) for CVT-equipped models, based on the newer, more stringent model year 2017 EPA ratings requirements, put the five-door Honda Civic Hatchback at the top of its class, the automaker claimed.
Fully independent suspension system with liquid filled bushings, front and rear, sport-tuned electronic power steering with variable gear ratios, and four-channel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake distribution and hill start assist are included in the US specification.
Standard on Sport Touring and optional on most other versions will be the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies, which includes collision mitigation braking system (CMBS), forward collision warning (FCW) integrated with CMBS, lane keeping assist (LKAS), road departure mitigation (RDM), lane departure warning integrated with RDM and adaptive cruise control (ACC) with low-speed follow. Other options include Honda display audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (EX and above trims), heated front seats and heated side mirrors, power driver and front-passenger seats and remote engine start.
The Sport Touring will have Sensing, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and LED headlights as standard while adding heated rear seats and other features.
The 2017 hatchback was developed jointly by Honda R&D teams in Europe and Japan and will be manufactured exclusively by Honda of the UK manufacturing in Swindon.
European engine options are expected to include a one-litre, turbocharged petrol engine and the proven 1.6 diesel.
See also: US shipments of Swindon-built Civics start
