Upcoming Honda Civic Diesel for India will get 9-speed AT gearbox

The Honda Civic was showcased at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo is all set to make a comeback in India next year. However, the Civic sedan that we’ll get in 2019 will be the facelifted model, which is already on sale in Europe. For the first time ever in India, the Honda Civic will be offered with a diesel engine – the 1.6 litre all-aluminium i-DTEC unit with 120 Bhp-300 Nm. While the power and torque figures may underwhelm you, Honda has got a trick up its sleeve – a brand new 9-speed torque converter automatic gearbox that promises thrilling performance from the Civic Diesel.

Well, Honda claims that the Civic Diesel with the 9-speed auto box will do the 0-100 Kph sprint in just 11 seconds, which means that the car will be pretty fast. Top speed? 200 Kph, which once again means that every horsepower of the diesel motor will be used to the fullest, thanks to the 9-speed automatic gearbox. What this also means is that the upcoming Honda Civic Diesel Automatic will actually be faster than the petrol version that was once sold in India. While Honda is yet to confirm the 9-speed automatic gearbox for the Indian Civic, it’s very likely that this combination will be on offer considering the fact that it’ll also be offered on the upcoming, 7-seat CR-V Diesel.

Notably, Honda manufactures the 1.6-litre diesel engine in India, at its Tapukara factory in Rajasthan. This will allow the Japanese automaker to price the Civic Diesel quite competitively, and is also expected to give it enough leverage to offer the 9-speed automatic gearbox with the car. The Civic will also be offered with the tried-and-tested, 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol engine, which puts out about 138 Bhp-173 Nm. The petrol engine is expected to be offered with 6-speed manual and CVT automatic gearbox options. All variants of the Civic sold here will be front-wheel driven. The car will take on the best-selling Toyota Corolla Altis, the Skoda Octavia and the Hyundai Elantra in India’s D-Segment sedan class.

Via ACI

Here is a video that provides a quick look at the new 2019 Civic.