Honda’s Civic sedan to make comeback in India, to hit market next month

Team Udayavani, Feb 13, 2019, 10:24 AM IST

Bengaluru: Japanese auto maker Honda Wednesday said it will launch the latest version of Civic model in India next month, thus completing its sedan lineup in the country.

With sedans — Amaze, City, Accord and the upcoming Civic — the company will have four products across various price points to cater to a wide range of customers.

Honda, which is present in the country through wholly- owned subsidiary Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL), will now look at bolstering its presence in other segments, including SUVs.

“With Civic, which will be launched next month, we will be completing our sedan lineup in India,” HCIL President and CEO Gaku Nakanishi told reporters here.

Honda had discontinued the Civic sedan in India in 2013 after selling around 55,000 units since its launch in 2006.

Elaborating further on the company’s future product strategy, HCIL Senior Vice President and Director (Sales and Marketing) Rajesh Goyal said with sedan lineup complete for the time being, the company may now focus at strengthening other body styles as well.

He however did not share any details about any specific product.

The company had last year said it is evaluating the Indian market to introduce more SUV models.

Since then it has already brought in new version of premium SUV CR-V in the market.

Besides CR-V, the company sells products like WR-V and BR-V to cater to fast growing SUV segment in the country.

Commenting on 10th generation Civic, Nakanishi said it would help in reviving the executive sedan segment for the company.

The executive sedan segment in the country is currently pegged at around 10,000 units per annum, dominated by the likes of Hyundai Elantra, Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla.

The all new Civic will be launched with both petrol and diesel powertrains, Nakanishi said.

The petrol versions will come with 1.8 litre engine mated with a CVT (automatic) transmission. The diesel trims will come with 1.6 litre engine mated to a manual six speed transmission.

As per the company, the petrol variants would deliver a fuel efficiency of 16.5 km per litre while the diesel versions would offer fuel efficiency of 26.8 km per litre.

“In India, Civic is an aspirational brand..ever since we showcased it in the last edition of the Auto Expo, there has been strong anticipation of its launch in the country,” Nakanishi said.

The Civic is Honda’s best selling model across the globe. The company has sold over 25 million units of the sedan since 1972.

It is manufactured across ten factories and sold across over 170 markets globally.