Honda’s US unit has revealed a production ready ‘concept’ of the 10th generation 2016 Civic at the New York motor show. The US range will include a UK-sourced five-door hatchback for the first time as well as the US and Canadian-produced sedans and coupes that have been mainstays for years.
Sporty Si and Type-R versions will also be offered in the new line which will be the first Honda model to offer new VTEC Turbo engines in North America.
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Honda announced late last year its Alliston plant in Canada would be lead factory for the redesigned Civic and, earlier this week, said the European plant, in Swindon, England, would become a global hub for the next generation five-door hatchback versions. Swindon has previously shipped three-door Si hatchbacks to North America and Type R variants to Japan.
“The new Civic will be, flat out, the most dynamic, the most technologically advanced and the most refined and stylish Civic we’ve ever made,” said John Mendel, executive vice president, Automobile Division, American Honda Motor. “In every way, this will be an epic Civic.”
The 2016 range, at least two classes larger than the 1972 two and three-door generation one cars, has a longer wheelbase and lower, wider stance, longer bonnet, shorter front overhang, a more set-back greenhouse and a shorter rear deck.
North America market powertrains will include a new 1.5 litre VTEC Turbo engine with direct injection, a short shifting six speed manual transmission and a new, “more sporty and efficient” continuously variable transmission (CVT) and will target class leading fuel economy ratings. Honda is also promising “fun to drive performance with near luxury levels of cabin quietness and ride refinement”.
Honda said the redesigned Civic would also target class-leading levels of safety performance and will offer the Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, including Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Multi-Angle Rearview Camera, Adaptive Cruise Control and LaneWatch along with next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE™) body structure.
The automaker said the new line marks the first time that development of both the sedan and coupe models is being led by a North American R&D team, with design led by a team from the Los Angeles design studio and development centered around the company’s Raymond, Ohio vehicle development centre. The North American sedan will be produced in Greensburg, Indiana, and in Alliston which will also make the coupe and Si models.
The VTEC Turbo engine will be produced in Anna, Ohio with engines also produced in Alliston. The CVT will be produced in Russells Point, Ohio. Together, these four Honda plants have invested in new equipment, processes and training to prepare for new Civic production, which will use domestic and globally sourced parts.
Production of the five-door hatchback will take place at Swindon, Honda has confirmed.
Honda is in the midst of a series of major product launches in North America that began with the freshened CR-V and continues with the spring launch of the new 2016 HR-V crossover and the summer launch of the redesigned 2016 Pilot SUV. This will be followed by the new Civic release beginning this autumn.
The current generation Civic has been the best-selling small car in America with individual retail car buyers every year since its launch as a 2012 model in calendar 2011, with sales in excess of 300,000 units in each of the past three years. The first-generation Civic debuted in America in 1972. American car buyers have purchased more than 10m over the 43 years and Civic has been manufactured in North America since 1986, with cumulative production approaching 9m units.
