Honda Unveils Sportiest New Civic Design in History
NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) — It won’t be competing head-to-head with Ferrari anytime soon, but Honda Motors on Wednesday got auto enthusiasts’ blood flowing by showing off the sportiest Civic it has ever planned.
The Japanese automaker unveiled concept designs for the 10th generation Civic at the New York International Auto Expo Wednesday. The revamped model should be available this fall in several incarnations — the coupe, sedan, hatchback, the Si and Type-R.
“The new Civic will be, flat out, the most dynamic, the most technologically advanced and the most refined and stylish Civic we’ve ever made,” Executive Vice President John Mendel said. “In every way, this will be an epic Civic.”
The 2016 Civic will also offer Honda’s VTEC Turbo engines for the first time in the United States.
“Charismatic, connected and athletic, our goal was to create a design that is emotional and sporty yet with a sense of timelessness and simplicity,” Honda design chief Guy Melville-Brown said. “In this, we set out to create a vehicle that goes beyond the superficial and embraces the very philosophy of what a true Civic should be. It’s a real game changer.”
Among the cues designers added to make the new Civic appear more aggressive are a longer hood, shorter rear deck, a longer wheelbase and a lower, wider stance.
“The Civic will target class-leading fuel economy ratings and fun-to-drive performance with near-luxury levels of cabin quietness and ride refinement,” the company said in a news release.
The new Civic, Honda says, also marks the first time both the coupe and sedan model designs were led by North American research and development teams in Los Angeles and Ohio.
For manufacture, the forthcoming Civics and their engines will be produced at Honda’s automotive plants in Ohio and Ontario, Canada. The hatchback will be produced in Britain.
Honda said the current Civic model has been the best-selling small car in the United States since its launch in late 2011 — with more than 300,000 vehicles sold in each of the last three years. The Civic has been produced in North America since 1986.
