Honda Civic launch timeline for India REVEALED

Japanese carmaker Honda showcased the Civic sedan in India at the Auto Expo 2018. Now, Autocar has revealed that the facelifted version of the Civic will be launched in India in early 2019 with sales expected to start in February.

The Honda Civic that will come to India in February of 2019 will be a facelifted version of the car seen at the Auto Expo 2018. The facelift brings a few cosmetic differences to the new Civic for India both inside and out. The facelifted Civic features a more aggressive front bumper with chrome elements for the fog lamp housings. The rear-end of the car also features a strip of chrome that runs across the boot lid. Also new on the exterior of the premium sedan are the piano black accents and the new alloy wheel design. The interior of the new Civic boasts of a large 7.0-inch infotainment display that offers both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The new Honda Civic for India will be offered with two engine options – a 1.8-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre turbo diesel that will be first seen on the new CR-V SUV that will be launched in India on October 9.

The 1.8-litre petrol engine produces 139 Bhp at 6,500rpm and 174 Nm of torque at 4,300rpm. The petrol engine on the Civic features a balancer shaft and redlines at 6,800rpm. The Civic petrol will be offered with two gearbox options – a 6-speed manual and a CVT automatic.

The diesel engine for the new Civic, on the other hand, is rated for 118.3 Bhp at 4,000rpm and 300 Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. The diesel engine on the new Civic, unlike the one on the CR-V, will only be available with a 6-speed manual gearbox as the SUV’s 9-speed automatic would make the diesel sedan a bit too pricey for the Indian market. So don’t expect the fancy button-style gearbox found on the CR-V to be present on the new Civic for India.

The 10th generation Honda Civic will rival the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Skoda Octavia when it arrives in early 2019. Another rival for the new Civic will be Maruti’s rebadged version of the Corolla, which is expected to arrive later in 2019. In terms of pricing, we expect the Civic to be positioned towards the more premium end of the segment.