New Honda Civic Unveiled
Published Date: 19th Sep 2016
Unveiled just now at the Japanese company’s UK manufacturing headquarters in Swindon, the 10th generation, in the history of the Honda Civic.
Production of the new model has already been underway for weeks and the first units are just landing on North American soil for the US market.
The Honda UK manufacturing plant has become the global centre for building and exporting the Civic Hatchback. The new model is set to be exported to more than 70 countries around the world including European markets, the US and Canada.
At launch the Ford Focus rival will be available with a choice of two petrol engines both with Honda’s innovative variable valve timing technology. A 1 litre three cylinder VTEC turbo with 127BHP to match the 1.0L ecoboost currently offered on the Focus. If you’re after a bit more power a 1.5 litre four cylinder VTEC turbo will be able to deliver 180BHP. Both engines will be mated to either a 6 speed manual or an automatic CVT gearbox.
Official emissions and MPG figures are yet to be released, but we expect them closer to the official release of the car. By the end of 2017 there will be a Type R version and diesel engines to choose from. The engineers over at Honda are busy revising the current 1.6 litre diesel engine to meet the ever stricter EU emission laws. An efficient nine speed automatic gearbox is also going to be in the options list next year.
The usual modern refinements in safety and technology will be available on the new Civic with Apple carplay and Android auto smart-phone connectivity. The safety features with Honda Sensing include collision mitigation systems including emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control.
Honda has every confidence that the new hatchback will pass the independent European NCAP safety assessment with five stars when it’s put through its paces in the next few months.
Honda UK began producing engines in the UK back in 1989 and the first UK car by Honda rolled off the line in 1992. The site now consists of two car plants and an engine manufacturing facility alongside a dedicated test track, administration and purchasing offices.