Honda Civic Hatchback Makes UK Debut. To Be Exported To 70 Countries

Initially slated to make its European debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, Honda UK decided to unveil the Civic Hatchback at its manufacturing base in Swindon earlier today, with production of the car underway and the first units already landing in North America.

It is said that the model will be exported to more than 70 countries around the world, including European markets, North America and Canada. Unfortunately, no announcements have been made on whether the car will be heading to this part of the world yet.

When we spoke to Katsuto Hayashi, the CEO of Honda Malaysia on the company’s position with regards to the Civic hatchback, he said that market situations are very different from one another, and while it’s easy to make a business case for a hatchback model in countries where hatchbacks are more popular, there is little demand for C-segment hatchbacks in Malaysia.

“As you know in Malaysia, the most popular body type is sedan. Only national car makes (Perodua) are popular with hatchbacks. Currently my understanding is that the demand for hatchbacks is not enough,” he said.

So, it is safe to say that the chances are rather slim for the Civic hatchback to be launched here.

Coming back to the UK launch earlier, the car is offered with a choice of two turbo engines, but they are not exactly what we get here. Firstly, there is the 180 hp, 1.5 litre four-cylinder (Our sedans kick out 175 hp). And then, there is a new, 1.0 litre three-cylinder engine which produces 127 hp. The company also said that the car will soon get a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine.

And offered with the engines mentioned above are either a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission.

Other standard features include a seven-inch infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, forward collision warning, blind spot information system, collision mitigating braking, and split-folding rear seats among others.

Katsushi Inoue, President and COO of Honda Motor Europe said: “As we reveal this new Civic, we look forward with confidence as we expand the role of our Swindon manufacturing plant. Honda has made significant investments in this facility and this next step is an important endorsement of the skills and expertise of our workforce. We’re also setting out a clear and sustainable future role for HUM, broadening our export markets beyond Europe.”

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