Honda Civic MMC for Malaysia, official press release

HONDA UNVEILS NEW CIVIC WITH ENHANCED

PREMIUM FEATURES AND YOUTHFUL APPEARANCE

• Attractive enhancement with safety upgrades, advanced features and price reduction for all three variants of 1.8L S, 2.0L S and 2.0L Navi
• Honda Malaysia targets to sell 625 units per month

Petaling Jaya, 20 November 2014 – Honda Malaysia unveiled the New Civic today with value-added features, smart technologies and it comes with a bolder appearance with new front grille design and aggressive-looking lower grille assembly.

The New Civic is even more attractive with Honda Malaysia’s announcement of the new pricing, which is a reduction from the current price. The on-the-road price tag for 1.8L S is now at RM113,800, 2.0L S is at RM125,800 and 2.0L Navi is at RM132,800. On top of the price reduction, all three variants of the New Civic attained added features which provide better value to the customers.

Civic 1.8L S	Civic 2.0L S	Civic 2.0L Navi
ü  Smart Entry with Push Start Button ü  Auto Headlamp ü  Cruise Control ü  Chrome Handle	ü  Side Curtain Airbags (6 Airbags) ü  Auto Headlamp	ü  Side Curtain Airbags (6 Airbags) ü  Auto Headlamp ü  New Enhanced  7” Display Audio  + HDMI / Navigation / MirrorLink

Table: Upgraded features of the New Civic

Honda Malaysia Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr.Yoichiro Ueno said, “The upgrades and enhancements in the New Civic are based on our customers’ feedback and from our evaluation of the market expectations. We are determined to deliver customer satisfaction at the highest level by providing high quality products with the best value for money in order to increase the joy of owning a Honda car.” Incorporating the “Youthful and Premium” concept, the New Civic introduced with smart technologies and safety features is targeting at working adults, young families and urbanites who demands for a stylish yet practical daily companion for their busy, exciting and varied lifestyles.

The engine platform of the New Civic for 1.8L delivers maximum output of 141PS and 174NM while the 2.0L delivers 155PS and 190NM. The trusted SOHC i-VTEC powertrain combined with a five speed automatic transmission gearbox delivers high level driving performance while achieving better fuel economy. The smart ECO Assist function guides the driver to drive more efficiently and the ECON Mode button improves the vehicle’s fuel efficiency with a push of a button.

In terms of exterior, the New Civic appears more aggressive with the new front grille and lower grille assembly. The 1.8L variant comes with 16-inch alloy wheel while the 2.0L obtains the 17-inch.

Additionally, an upgrade for the 1.8L S and 2.0L S includes the refinement of its interior door handle where the thickness and quality of material has been improved by 30% and the 2.0L Navi variant is refined with ‘Piano Black Finish’. The 2.0L Navi is also further enhanced with a futuristic cockpit featuring 7” Display Audio with Navigation, HDMI and MirrorLink. All three variants are equipped with the advanced Smart Entry with Push Start button for extra convenience to the customers.

With safety being a commitment and priority for Honda, the New Civic will be equipped with highest safety specifications as all three variants comes with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system that combines with Motion Adaptive EPS (Electronic Power Steering) system to stabilize the vehicle and driving controls during understeer and oversteer conditions. Through the innovation of Honda’s Advance Compability Engineering (ACE) body structure, it provides improved crash compatibility between different sizes of vehicles. The New Civic is now equipped with 6 Airbags (2.0L S and 2.0L Navi variants). Customers of the 9^th Generation Civic would be pleased to note that the Civic is known for being a safe family sedan with a 5-star ASEAN NCAP achievement.

Sales target for the New Civic is 7,500 units a year which is an increase of 44% compared to when it was first launched in 2012. Moreover, the 9^th Generation Civic has contributed more than 16,900 units of sales as of October 2014. The much loved Civic in Malaysia has sold more than 75,000 units since the introduction of the 7^th Generation in 2003. The New Civic will feature a new colour (Twilight Blue) added into the lineup of existing colours of Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl. Currently, the waiting period for the New Civic is one month upon booking.

The New Civic will also carry one of the most attractive after-sales service packages of 5-year warranty with unlimited mileage, service interval of 10,000 km and free labour service up to 6 visits for every alternate paid service until 100,000km.

For more information on the New Civic or to book a test drive, visit any of the 78 authorized Honda dealers nationwide or please call Honda’s Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020, or log on to www.honda.com.my.

9G Civic 1.8 Report up in TOVA

My report of my test drive of the 9Gen Civic 1.8 i-VTEC is now up in TOVA. The direct url is http://asia.vtec.net/Reviews/9GCivic18/index.html.

Zengő Motorsport Selects Honda’s Civic for WTCC

The Hungarian-based private team Zengő Motorsport confirmed today that they will enter the next two seasons of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) with the Honda Civic WTCC. The car will be driven by Hungarian driver Norbert Michelisz.

William De Braekeleer, Motorsport Manager Honda Motor Europe Ltd., said of the announcement:

Photos of US early-MMC Civic INTERIOR

In the U.S., the 9Gen Civic had a stormy introduction. While it managed to achieve best seller in its class, its interior, especially in the base models, had been criticized by many quarters, with the enthusiasts and Honda fans/owners being some of the loudest. While some have tried to defend the Civic, often by using the fact that it is a best-seller, the fact that AHM will launch an MMC for the 9Gen Civic this month proves that even Honda feels that some of the criticisms are at the very least, warranted. 

9Gen Civic MMC now available in US dealer's websites

The early MMC for the 9Gen Civic, known in the U.S. as the '2013 Civic' is almost on us. On some dealer's websites in the U.S., one can already 'build' (i.e. select options) the car one is interested in buying. And the '2013 Civic' is now already available for building. This also gives us an early 'sneak peek' at the new 2013 Civic, eventhough in CG form only. The photos below are captured by one TOV forumer from the 'Benson Honda' dealer website and offers us an almost complete look at the exterior of the MMC 2013 Civic. Of special mention are the new front grille and bumper design plus the new tail-lights.

Interior quality of the 9G Civic

There seems to be some disagreement amongst TOV/TOVA'ers about the interior quality of the 9Gen Civic, between the ASEAN and USDM versions, and even between the previous 8Gen and the new 9Gen units. While it is never possible to judge correctly, nevertheless I was very concious of this issue and I -did- take close up photos of the material of the cabin. 

In this first supplementary post, I have put up three photos of the inside of the 1.8l Civic below for readers who might want to, or are able to make more informed judgements. The first photo on the top is the driver's seat, the one in the middle, the driver's door and the third the top of the dashboard on the front passenger's side where the front airbag cover is. 

9G Civic launched in ASEAN

The 9G Civic is now making its debut in ASEAN and was launched here in Malaysia yesterday. To Honda, this launch was a much awaited event is it marks the resumption of their full operations after the rather disastrous flooding in Thailand last year.