Honda delays Civic redesign
05-18-10, 06:25 AM
#1
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Honda delays Civic redesign
http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...NEWS/100519893
Honda's redesigned Civic will not arrive until 2011, well past the typical five-year product cadence that would have landed the next-generation subcompact in dealer showrooms this fall.
Changing market conditions and tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations affected the development of the upcoming Civic, John Mendel, American Honda Motor Co.'s executive vice president, said in an interview.
Mendel said the next Civic would come next year, although he declined to give a specific month. The current Civic debuted in September 2005.
"In general, we are not changing cycles," he said. "We change vehicles as need be. The ability to do something based on more current information is better than waiting a full model cycle. Some of that is being able to have the opportunity to change [based on] what you see happening in the marketplace."
At the Tokyo auto show last October, Honda Motor Co. COO Tsuneo Tanai said the redesign had been altered midstream. The next Civic was planned to be larger than the current model. But its exterior has been resized closer to the current one, Tanai said.
The Civic sells about 1 million cars a year globally, with the United States accounting for about one-third of that.
Despite the delay, the Civic-based CR-V crossover is expected to stick to a five-year cycle. The current CR-V debuted in the fall of 2006; the redesign will arrive next year, Mendel said.
This would not be the first time a major Japanese carmaker has extended the life cycle of a core model. Toyota delayed the scheduled 2007 redesign of its U.S.-edition Corolla compact by a year because engineering resources were spread too thin. Although incentive spending increased in that final year, Corolla sales remained strong, and Toyota judged the decision to have been a good one.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...#ixzz0oHrs4Jpr
Changing market conditions and tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations affected the development of the upcoming Civic, John Mendel, American Honda Motor Co.'s executive vice president, said in an interview.
Mendel said the next Civic would come next year, although he declined to give a specific month. The current Civic debuted in September 2005.
"In general, we are not changing cycles," he said. "We change vehicles as need be. The ability to do something based on more current information is better than waiting a full model cycle. Some of that is being able to have the opportunity to change [based on] what you see happening in the marketplace."
At the Tokyo auto show last October, Honda Motor Co. COO Tsuneo Tanai said the redesign had been altered midstream. The next Civic was planned to be larger than the current model. But its exterior has been resized closer to the current one, Tanai said.
The Civic sells about 1 million cars a year globally, with the United States accounting for about one-third of that.
Despite the delay, the Civic-based CR-V crossover is expected to stick to a five-year cycle. The current CR-V debuted in the fall of 2006; the redesign will arrive next year, Mendel said.
This would not be the first time a major Japanese carmaker has extended the life cycle of a core model. Toyota delayed the scheduled 2007 redesign of its U.S.-edition Corolla compact by a year because engineering resources were spread too thin. Although incentive spending increased in that final year, Corolla sales remained strong, and Toyota judged the decision to have been a good one.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...#ixzz0oHrs4Jpr
05-18-10, 08:43 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Agreed......it has a cult-like following in virtually all its forms, especially the Si. And there is also a GX natural-gas version (primarily for the West Coast), something that most other cars can't say.
Because of its well-earned reputation for reliability, the Civic can borrow an old Subaru phrase......"Inexpensive, and built to stay that way". The Civic's build quality (but not its looks) impresses me more than any other compact car on the market...though several others are close.
Delaying the Civic's redesign for another year, IMO, is no big deal.......Honda traditionally has done 4-year cycles for its products, but if they now feel they need 5 or 6 to get the new designs right, then so be it. Three things, though, I hope they do with the new Civic is to get rid of the two-tier speedo/tach gauges, go back to an analog speedometer, and dump the small triangular front-quarter windows. All three, IMO, were awkward-looking.
It's an inexpensive bread-and-butter car that appeals to many.
Delaying the Civic's redesign for another year, IMO, is no big deal.......Honda traditionally has done 4-year cycles for its products, but if they now feel they need 5 or 6 to get the new designs right, then so be it. Three things, though, I hope they do with the new Civic is to get rid of the two-tier speedo/tach gauges, go back to an analog speedometer, and dump the small triangular front-quarter windows. All three, IMO, were awkward-looking.
05-18-10, 08:55 AM
#7
Agreed......it has a cult-like following in virtually all its forms, especially the Si. And there is also a GX natural-gas version (primarily for the West Coast), something that most other cars can't say.
Because of its well-earned reputation for reliability, the Civic can borrow an old Subaru phrase......"Inexpensive, and built to stay that way". The Civic's build quality (but not its looks) impresses me more than any other compact car on the market...though several others are close.
Delaying the Civic's redesign for another year, IMO, is no big deal.......Honda traditionally has done 4-year cycles for its products, but if they now feel they need 5 or 6 to get the new designs right, then so be it. Three things, though, I hope they do with the new Civic is to get rid of the two-tier speedo/tach gauges, go back to an analog speedometer, and dump the small triangular front-quarter windows. All three, IMO, were awkward-looking.
Because of its well-earned reputation for reliability, the Civic can borrow an old Subaru phrase......"Inexpensive, and built to stay that way". The Civic's build quality (but not its looks) impresses me more than any other compact car on the market...though several others are close.
Delaying the Civic's redesign for another year, IMO, is no big deal.......Honda traditionally has done 4-year cycles for its products, but if they now feel they need 5 or 6 to get the new designs right, then so be it. Three things, though, I hope they do with the new Civic is to get rid of the two-tier speedo/tach gauges, go back to an analog speedometer, and dump the small triangular front-quarter windows. All three, IMO, were awkward-looking.
I don't have the small front quarter window on the coupe.I have them on our '10 RX 350 and I don't like them or feel they're necessary.
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05-18-10, 09:07 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
I don't have the small front quarter window on the coupe.I have them on our '10 RX 350 and I don't like them or feel they're necessary.
05-18-10, 09:16 AM
#9
Some upmarket cars have the push-button choice of an analog or electronic-analog pattern, but that would probably cost too much for an relatively low-priced car like the Civic. I wouldn't bet on seeing it in the new redesign.
They are generally used for added visibility in lieu of overly-thick, vision-blocking A-pilliars, but, in general, I agree with you...I think they look awkward.
They are generally used for added visibility in lieu of overly-thick, vision-blocking A-pilliars, but, in general, I agree with you...I think they look awkward.
It showed the digital speedometer in the middle of the tach and no two tier dash.
The Civic a nice peppy around town vehicle.Dead on the highway but gets very good MPGs.The wife loves the zipping around town and parking it anywhere without worry.
My son will get this coupe for his college graduation present next year and will trade in his '08 Civic sedan on something..
I liike the coupe's look better than the sedan but getting out of it is a bit more difficult than the sedan my son has.
Again,I don't see the benefit of those small windows on the Civic sedan and
RX.
Last edited by Joeb427; 05-18-10 at 09:22 AM.
05-18-10, 09:31 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
One more thing I forgot to mention..........I hope, on the next design, they do an AWD version to compete with the Subaru Impreza, Toyota Matrix, and some of the small Suzukis. Honda currently (at least in the American market) forces you into car-based SUV's like the CR-V and Pilot or the Ridgeline pickup if you want AWD. That, IMO, should change.
With the advanced powertrain of the new Prius getting a lot of media attention, it will also be interesting to see what the new Civic Hybrid will be like.
With the advanced powertrain of the new Prius getting a lot of media attention, it will also be interesting to see what the new Civic Hybrid will be like.
05-18-10, 09:38 AM
#11
One more thing I forgot to mention..........I hope, on the next design, they do an AWD version to compete with the Subaru Impreza, Toyota Matrix, and some of the small Suzukis. Honda currently (at least in the American market) forces you into car-based SUV's like the CR-V and Pilot or the Ridgeline pickup if you want AWD. That, IMO, should change.
With the advanced powertrain of the new Prius getting a lot of media attention, it will also be interesting to see what the new Civic Hybrid will be like.
With the advanced powertrain of the new Prius getting a lot of media attention, it will also be interesting to see what the new Civic Hybrid will be like.
05-18-10, 09:40 AM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
The incremental sales increase associated with a AWD version of Civic would be small, but measurable. I have my doubts because of price concerns in this low end market and fuel economy concerns too.
05-18-10, 09:51 AM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, it's hard to argue with the CR-V's success.....or build quality. Still, it sits high, very SUV-like, and, from my test-drive experience, has rather tipsy handling. An AWD Civic, like the Impreza, would eliminate much of that. IS-SV, though, brings up a good point that the added sales of an AWD Civic, vs. the cost of production, would be somewhat of a gamble.
05-18-10, 10:16 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Yes, it's hard to argue with the CR-V's success.....or build quality. Still, it sits high, very SUV-like, and, from my test-drive experience, has rather tipsy handling. An AWD Civic, like the Impreza, would eliminate much of that. IS-SV, though, brings up a good point that the added sales of an AWD Civic, vs. the cost of production, would be somewhat of a gamble.
But many Americans actually prefer the higher SUV's that "sit high", especially for commuting and heavy urban traffic conditions. Notice how the tallish Forrester and recent tallish Outbacks easily outsell the Impreza and other Subie cars.
05-18-10, 10:49 AM
#15
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Me thinks that the Focus and Cruze sent Honda back to the drawing board.
This is a very suspicious delay. Honda probably initially was going to just throw out another ugly mediocre car and call it "the all new Civic", but then decided last minute that the stakes were too high to do that. Ford is really out-Honda-ing Honda and I think Honda finally realizes the real threat that Ford is to them. All in all this is good for consumers. More good cars to choose from nowadays with competition so fierce.
This is a very suspicious delay. Honda probably initially was going to just throw out another ugly mediocre car and call it "the all new Civic", but then decided last minute that the stakes were too high to do that. Ford is really out-Honda-ing Honda and I think Honda finally realizes the real threat that Ford is to them. All in all this is good for consumers. More good cars to choose from nowadays with competition so fierce.