Honda Civic Indian relaunch likely - Report

12/05/2016 - 09:41 Honda Civic, Honda Anjan Ravi

2016 Honda Civic in ASEAN spec is manufactured in Thailand.

According to a report on Autocar India, Honda Cars India is considering the relaunch of the Honda Civic in the country. The Japanese carmaker started introducing volume-oriented models such as the Amaze, new City, Mobilio, Jazz and BR-V, whereas in the premium segment, where Honda's products such as the Civic and Accord once topped charts, the carmaker is absent save for the CR-V's segment.

2016 Honda Civic RS (ASEAN-spec) front at 2016 BIMS — The 2016 Honda Civic is offered with VTEC Turbo and i-VTEC engines in international markets.

Honda Cars India will first launch the all-new Accord, by way of the Accord Hybrid, in the September-October period this year. However, that still leaves a large gap between the Honda City and the Honda Accord Hybrid, a gap which the Civic could fill if priced right. According to Mr. Yoichiro Ueno, president and CEO, Honda Cars India, customers owning the City currently will look to upgrade in the coming years, and if their existing brand does not offer the right product, the customer will have to shift to a new brand. According to Mr. Ueno, the Civic is "one model" under consideration.

The tenth-generation 2016 Honda Civic is in the process of going on sale in global markets. Bookings for the sedan are ongoing in Malaysia ahead of a launch expected to take place in the coming days. For ASEAN markets, the new Civic is being produced at Honda's Prachin Buri plant in Thailand at the rate of 60,000 units/annum (20,000 will be exported as CBU, 20,000 will be exported as CKD and the rest will be sold within Thailand).

2016 Honda Civic (ASEAN-spec) dashboard at 2016 BIMS — The new Civic's platform will also be used for the next generation CR-V and Accord.

If launched in India, the Thai plant could supply the Civic in the form of knocked down kits, and Honda Cars India would assemble the sedan at its Tapukara, Rajasthan plant or its Greater Noida facility. It would be powered either by the 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo engine or a 1.8-liter i-VTEC petrol engine with gearbox options of a 6-speed MT and CVT.

Also read: Honda BR-V vs Hyundai Creta vs Renault Duster - Comparo

Globally, Honda is working on launching a hatchback version of the new Civic, and the next generation 2017 Honda CR-V which will be based on the Civic's platform.

[Source - AutocarIndia]