The Honda Civic is all set to make a comeback to Indian shores. Honda Car India has confirmed that the car will be launched in India in 2019. The car maker says that the Civic woulds be an ideal upgrade to existing City owners.

The Honda Civic was first launched in India in 2006. It became an instant hit with buyers due to its futuristic exteriors and interiors. However, lack of good fuel efficiency and no diesel option, Honda discontinued the model in 2013 and didnt replace it with the ninth gen car.

India will now get the tenth generation of the Civic that was launched internationally in 2015. “We have received a lot of requests for the Civic which is very successful in other countries. So we are studying this model for India and, so far, the result is very positive. So we are going to implement it here now,” said Yoichiro Ueno, President and CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd.

He continued, ” “It will take a while due to localisation of components and the development of the specification for India,” said Ueno. Honda says the Civic is unlikely to arrive on Indian shores before 2019, by which time it is set to get a mid-life facelift globally. Hence, it makes sense to launch the facelifted version in India. Ueno agrees: “We would like to bring the latest models, so coinciding the launch of the facelift in India with other countries will be good. I think that’s good timing for India.”

The Civic for India will like get a 140 horsepower 1.8 litre petrol and a 120 horsepower 1.6 litre diesel. We wont get the new 1.5 litre turbo diesel that puts out 170 horses. “The 1.5 turbo is a very expensive engine for India,” says Ueno.

For the Civic to succeed, Honda will have to keep costs low to achieve a competitive price. The Honda Civic will rival the Corolla Altis, Skoda Octavia and the Hyundai Elantra in India

Source