India-bound 2019 Honda Civic (facelift) revealed

Today, the 2019 Honda Civic (facelift) for international markets has been revealed, and it is this model that will launch in India early next year. The Japanese carmaker has introduced mild cosmetic changes on the historic nameplate and has standardized its Honda Sensing technology in a bid to increase safety.

On the outside, the 2019 Civic gets a new piano black "wing" (earlier the Honda wing was in chrome), redesigned bumpers with a full width front splitter, updated halogen or LED headlights, chrome accent on the lower rear bumper, new wheel designs, and the addition of a new Sport trim.

There are no changes to the interior save for an updated 7-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a volume button. All variants of the 2019 Civic get the Honda Sensing technology which includes Collision Mitigation Braking System with forward collision warning, Road Departure Mitigation with Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist System and Adaptive Cruise Control. These features are unlikely to make it to India however.

For the Indian market, the 2019 Honda Civic will be powered by a 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel engine and a 1.8-liter i-VTEC petrol engine. The former manufactured in India at Honda's Rajasthan plant for export markets, however, will be detuned. By deleting a turbocharger from the twin turbo system (offered internationally), the output of this diesel engine will be 120 PS and 300 Nm. It will be paired with a 9-speed automatic gearbox.

Also read: Top-spec Honda Amaze diesel VX CVT to launch soon - Report

The Civic's main rivals in India are the Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Octavia, and the Hyundai Elantra. The body and the interior will be locally assembled from Thai-made CKD packs.