As our appreciation of your continued support, as some sort of a 'present' for the new year, in this post, we present some of the information we have heard about the new 9Generation Honda Civic.
The new 9Generation Civic will be launched in the U.S. very soon, within the next two to three months. But what about those of us here in Asia/ASEAN ? Here are some of the numerous information I have learned about the new 9Gen Civic, info which I feel I can share with you without compromising my information source.
The new 9Gen Honda Civic will continue to be based on the JDM version. However, even though the JDM Civic has been delayed, it will still be very similar to the U.S. version. The same relationship as with the current 8Gen Civic will most probably continue.
About expected launch time. The 9Gen JDM Civic will, like the case of the outgoing 8Gen Civic and the current Accord, be launched LATER than the U.S. Civic. The sedan market and coupe in the U.S. is still huge. But the sedan and coupe market in Japan has been steadily shrinking. The Japan market's focus is now on SUV and small, efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. So sales of the Civic has been steadily declining in Japan. As a result, the Civic, very sadly, no longer represents that important a focus point for Honda as in the past. The expectation is that the 9Gen Civic will be launched in Japan most probably towards the end of this year.
Consequently, due to its reliance on the JDM version, the 9Gen Civic will only be launched in Asia/ASEAN early next year. Once again, we need Honda to launch it in Thailand first as their HQ is stationed in Thailand. So HRT (Honda Research Thailand) located in Ayutthaya will need to develop the 'officially approved' version for Asia before it can be launched here. So once again, in terms of the sequence of launches, we need to see JDM Civic, Civic in Thailand, then only can the Civic make its way around the rest of ASEAN.
A piece of what might probably be considered bad news. Expect to NO LONGER see a 'twin-cam VTEC' Civic here in ASEAN anymore with the new 9Gen Civic. The Civic will continue to have a 1.8l and 2.0l variant, with the 2.0l variant catering to the more performance demanding buyer. HOWEVER, Honda will be phasing out the K20 as the K-Series engines are nearing the end of their lifespan. So the 2.0l 9Gen Civic will no longer be powered by a K20. The current indications are that the line-up will be R18A and R20A for the new 9Gen Civic.
Even with potentially the R20A powering the 2.0l Civic, we can expect Honda to re-tune it for more top-end power at the loss of some low-end and mid-range power. The R20A has been powering the ASEAN CR-V and this of course is a much heavier vehicle. So for the Civic, it is possible to re-tune it. The R20A is already producing 150ps which is only 5ps lower than the K20 in the outgoing 8Gen Civic 2.0 i-VTEC. So in terms of outright power, the new R20A Civic will probably not see much, if any, loss in power. The torque delivery of the R20A is competitive to the K20. But it's emissions and fuel economy is vastly superior due to its unique VTEC implementation for low-pumping loss during light throttle cruising.
The transmissions are expected to continue to be the current 5AT. Do not expect any 6AT as apparently even the U.S. will not be getting this transmission. Also do not expect any manual transmission for most of ASEAN.
Finally, with the end of life of the FD2 Civic Type-R and once the current stock are finished in Malaysia, the chapter will be PERMANENTLY CLOSED. I.e. REGARDLESS of whether there will or will not be a new 9Gen Civic Type-R for Japan, Malaysia WILL DEFINITELY NOT get it. The FD2R for Malaysia has always been a very special exception, for Honda to beef up its reputation here in this country. With this mission already accomplished and annual sales improving steadily, Honda will NO LONGER allow the Civic Type R to be sold outside of Japan. OLD HABITS DIE HARD.
So this is it then, all the information about the new forthcoming 9Gen Honda Civic that I feel I can diverge. If you are in the market for a performance oriented Honda Civic, now is probably the best time of all to get one, whether it be the regular 2.0 i-VTEC version or if they are still availanle, the FD2 Civic Type R. Once the 9Gen is here, twin-cam Civic will no longer be available.
Finally, don't forget : YOU READ ALL THESE INFORMATION HERE FIRST !
Cavert : Information of this sort are by nature unreliable so there is still a chance that some details might change. So do take this into account if you intend to use the information in this post to make buying decisions.
5 comments:
FYI there have been R20 variants making around 155Hp for a while. For example, the Euro Accord:
http://honda.de/content/automobile/modelle_accord_limousine_technische_daten.php
Thank you for the info. This engine would be what is expected to be put into the new 9Gen 2.0l Civic.
The USDM 9th gen Civic Si has a 2.4 DOHC i-VTEC engine. Any Malaysia will have this version ?
According to the info I have, NO. The 'sporty' 9Gen Civic, which is to replace the current K20A Civic will be powered by the R20A engine similar to the one in the Accord/CR-V. I.e. both the Civic variants will use SOHC i-VTEC engines, one 1.8l R18A and the other 2.0l R20A. However, power-wise, I suspect eventhough SOHC, the R20A will deliver the same power as the current K20A Civic, i.e. 155ps. So you will get improved overall fuel consumption but not much performance benefit.
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