Honda Australia’s strategy to streamline its product line-up to focus on the growing SUV segments means that only three new Civic models will be available in its dealer showrooms in 2022.
A high-spec 1.5-litre Civic VTi LX hatch will be available in Honda Centres from December 6, 2021, to be followed by a e:HEV hybrid and a high-performance Type-R in 2022.
The Civic VTi LX hatch is powered by an 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 131 kW of power and 240Nm of torque, driving the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
It has a national drive-away price of $47,200*.
Honda Australia director Stephen Collins says the Civic has been specified to appeal to a new target customer, one that aligns with the move to a more premium positioning for the nameplate and the Honda brand overall.
The company says having one sole Civic variant aligns with the new product strategy for Australia which is to right-size the business and sell a sustainable number of vehicles to support profitability.
Honda Australia wants to focus on premium specification and high-series grades, streamline the product line-up with an emphasis on growth segments, specifically SUVs, create space for all-new products now on the horizon and introduce additional hybrid models.
“When developing the market proposition for the all-new Civic, we needed to ensure it aligned with the overall product strategy for Honda in Australia,” Collins says.
Over the course of 11 generations, the Civic has played numerous roles for the company and for customers.
At the introduction of the first-generation Civic in 1972, it was heralded as the beginning of a new era for Japanese automotive design and engineering, and praised by motoring journalists for its fun-to-drive dynamics, quality construction and world-class fuel efficiency.
With every subsequent generation, Civic has continued to evolve – from the innovative and classically styled third-generation hatchback with its pioneering ‘long-roof’ design, to the fifth-generation Civic, which became the new benchmark for its class and ushered in a new generation of tuners with its sporty design and use of exotic VTEC® variable valve timing and lift.
With the eighth-generation the Civic matured, growing in size and equipment as the needs of small car buyers changed. That evolution continued with the 10th-generation model, which was one of the most ambitious and comprehensive new model programs ever undertaken by Honda, delivering a dynamic rejuvenation of the Civic nameplate.
The new generation hatch continues the Civic tradition of innovation, design leadership and outstanding driving dynamics. It boasts a clean, modern design paired with a high-tech, human-centred interior and equipped with the latest advanced active and passive safety systems says Honda Australia.
Manufactured at the Saitama Factory Yorii Automobile Plant in the Saitama Prefecture in Japan, the new Civic will officially go on sale at Honda Centres around Australia on December 6, 2021.
