New Honda Civic All Set To Become Segment’s Best-Seller – Here’s Why!

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New Honda Civic has garnered more than 1,600 bookings in just over a week of its launch; 85 per cent of the total for petrol variants

Just over a month ago, Honda commenced bookings for the re-entering Civic executive sedan that went on sale on March 7. Having had a run of more than six years, Honda opted to skip the ninth generation model for India that led to a long hiatus before showcasing the latest Civic at the 2018 Auto Expo with a positive response.

Honda has said that more than 1,600 orders have been registered so far meaning that the tenth generation Civic has exceeded thrice the average monthly sales of the segment in less than five weeks. Rajesh Goel, Senior VP and Director of Sales and Marketing at Honda Cars India said that there has been a “lot of interest from cross-section of customers, including existing owners, many of whom are celebrities and have held on to the older generation Civic and wanted to upgrade”.

He also stated that nearly 85 per cent of the total bookings are made for the petrol variant and eight out of every ten bookings are for the top-spec variants of both the fuel options. The Japanese manufacturer hoped to lure in City owners who are seeking upgrade to a more premium sedan segment and the strategy appears to have been working.

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Moreover, Honda is one of the rarest of mainstream brands in India that rely heavily on sedan sales rather than SUVs and it reflects in its four-strong lineup. Honda pulled the plugs on the eighth-gen Civic since it was devoid of a diesel engine and in its latest avatar, it is being offered with the most fuel economical diesel motor in its class at 26.8 kmpl – more frugal than City diesel.

However, the 1.8-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol unit garners plenty of attention as it is sensibly priced against competitors and develops 141 PS and 174 Nm. It is only mated to a CVT automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The petrol starting price of Rs. 17.7 lakh (ex-showroom) is certainly an attractive prospect and it has indeed shown itself in the booking registers.

The 2019 Honda Civic is offered in V, VX and ZX variants with prices at Rs. 17.7 lakh, Rs. 19.2 lakh and Rs. 21 lakh respectively (all ex-showroom prices). To have a competitive advantage over its rivals, Honda sells the new Civic with several segment–first features including Lane Watch system, Agile Handling Assist, and much more.

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