Old Honda Civic hatchback spotted in India

New 10th gen Honda Civic sedan is being considered for launch, but not this vehicle.

During a visit to Honda's factory in Tapukara, Rajasthan, we spotted a Honda Civic hatchback at the premises. While other reports state that the model is the new Civic reportedly in the pipeline for launch, this is in fact the pre-facelift 9th gen Euro-spec Civic hatchback discontiued last year that will not come to India.

The model would've been imported for Global R&D testing or any component-related testing by Honda Cars India. In November 2014, import/export listing website, Zauba, had listed a left-hand drive Honda Civic diesel from the United Kingdom for R&D purposes, which could be the model spotted above. The 9th gen model had a 1.6L i-DTEC diesel with 118 bhp.

Earlier this year, Honda Cars India President & CEO Yoichiro Ueno hinted that the tenth generation Honda Civic could be launched in the country, and the model arriving at Indian shores would be the sedan. The ASEAN-spec 2017 Honda Civic, which should be the one close to the Indian-spec version, measures 4,630 mm in length, 1,799 mm in width and 1,416 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm.

Also Read: New Honda CR-V with 1.6 i-DTEC diesel to launch in India in 2018 – Report

It's available with the familiar 1.8-litre i-VTEC naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 141 PS and 174 Nm of torque and the 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that develops 173 PS and 220 Nm of torque. Honda could exclusively make the 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine an option for the 10th gen Civic, as the platform supports diesel technology.