NEW YORK: Honda unveiled next-generation sporty lime-green metallic Civic coupe with dramatic creases, a longer hood, 20-inch wheels and a big rear spoiler clearly designed to jettison the current car’s dull appearance and handling.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is the return of the sporty Civic,” Executive Vice President John Mendel said at the car’s introduction.
Honda says the new car was redesigned top to bottom, with U.S. engineers and designers taking the lead. It’s got single-line LED tail lights and a mean-looking front grille. The distance between the front and rear wheels is longer, and the car will get all-new engines and transmissions.
Honda was short on details about the 10th-generation Civic. Executives did say higher-end versions will get a 1.5-Liter turbocharged engine, a first for Honda in the states. The Civic will debut in the fall with a sedan, followed later by the Coupe and an R-Type high performance version. A five-door hatchback and other unspecified variations are planned as well.
Mendel said Honda is confident the new versions will attract people of all ages worldwide. The cars also will have refined handling as well as a spacious quiet interior, he said.
The Civic will get new engines and transmissions, including a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder motor in higher-end models, Honda said. It will have new six-speed manual or continuously variable transmissions.
After the last Civic roll-out in 2011, critics said Honda cut costs to take profits at the wrong time just as Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai and others were coming out with improved compacts.
As a result, Honda was forced to revamp the Civic in 2012 after just 19 months on the market in an effort to match the competition. The do-over gave the Civic a sportier profile, replaced its chintzy dashboard and seat fabric and made the ride quieter. The revamp came to market in about half the time it normally takes.
