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^thGeneration 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^thGeneration 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^thGeneration 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:

“We have always been committed to making the Civic WTCC available to private teams, so we couldn’t be more delighted with today’s announcement.”

“Zengő Motorsport is an extremely professional outfit and Norbert Michelisz a very respected and talented driver. We are really honoured by their choice and the trust they are putting in the Civic WTCC. We are pleased to be able to count on such a player to help us in the manufacturer title’s fight and it is our aim to provide them with the best package to achieve their own goal. Of course this also means an extra challenge for our own works team, but this is what racing is all about!”

He added: “Zengő Motorsport was the first of many teams, both within and outside the WTCC, to express an interest in racing the Civic WTCC. But whilst we would love to make further cars available in the future, we are currently limiting it to one private team.”

Zoltán Zengő, the team principal said:

“With Honda on board we have the perfect partner to fulfill our new goals; namely to fight for the World Championship.”

“I have to thank Honda Hungary for their support and to every member of my team, to whom I’m very proud of. My role is to help Norbert Michelisz’s talent with the best equipment possible because when an outstanding driver meets an outstanding car, miracles can happen. That’s why we chose Honda and it’s the perfect time to board their “Shinkansen”. We feel honoured that somewhere in Japan and Italy there’s an absolute top level racing car under construction and it is made for us, for Norbert to race.”

Based in Budapest, Zengő Motorsport was founded in the 1990s by team principal Zoltán Zengő and has grown to become one of the leading motorsport operations in Hungary.

Norbert Michelisz’s is Zengő Motorsport’s lead driver and has been supported by the team since 2006. In 2008 he became the first Hungarian driver in the modern era to compete in the WTCC, and in his first full season in 2010 showed his class by winning the Rookie Challenge. Last year brought further success for Michelisz, with a win at the Hungaroring and claiming the overall victory in the Yokohama Driver’s Trophy.

J.A.S Motorsport will build the car for the team to the same specifications as Honda’s own Civic WTCC. It will be powered by the HR-412 E, Honda R&D’s bespoke 1.6 litre 4 cylinder direct injection turbo-charged petrol engine, with Mugen providing trackside support.

Honda Racing Team JAS, Honda’s factory team, will enter two cars in the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship, driven by Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro.

Honda Racing Team JAS entered the Civic WTCC into the last three races of the 2012 championship, which saw Monteiro claim the car’s first podium finish at Macau in November.

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. 

In our TOV forums yesterday, member 'Farage1' posted two high-resolution photos of what looks to be the dashboard of the MMC Civic (the photos are at the bottom of this article). While not conclusive, another forumer listed down a list of differences he observed, which should provide a useful starting point for anyone looking for the changes to the dashboard. The observations below are from TOV forumer 'atomiclightbulb'.

(1) Center stack: In the '12 model, Audio/Nav and HVAC are placed on different tiers. HVAC in the '12 is recessed slightly. In the '13 model, Audio/Nav and HVAC are part of one continuous surface, separated by a chrome strip right below the hazard/emergency lights button. This new design is akin to the 8G Civic.

(2) The black plastic bezel that surrounds HVAC/Audio controls continues on the left side of the steering column, making the driver area of the dash appear continuous.

(3) HVAC controls are revised. Button placement is slightly different and fan knob is bigger now.

(4) Dash panel geometry repaired. Starting from the top, the dash piece that goes over the digital speedometer appears to be a continuous piece that stretches all the way to the end of the passenger side part of the dash. In the '12 model, there is a cut line that seems a bit odd between the digital speedometer panel and the passenger side airbag panel. In the '12 model, the dash piece that extends from the top of the tachometer cluster and into the passenger side of the car is changed. The tach cluster plastic now ends where the center stack plastic ends. The passenger gets a soft touch panel on their side.

(5) Chrome trim around vents.

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. 

I am sure any and all comments here will be of great interest to others.

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.

Three variants were launched for Malaysia :- Civic 1.8, two types of Civic 2.0 - with and without the NAVI option, and finally as suspected before the launch, the Civic Hybrid as well. Prices are extremely competitive, with the Civic 2.0l non-NAVI for e.g. seeing a price increase of only RM1k. Meanwhile the Civic Hybrid makes its return and is now going for just below RM120k on the road with full insurance.

I will be putting up a full coverage of the ASEAN 9G Civic very soon on TOVA. In the meantime I wish to cover a couple of questions I raised during the press conference, which I believe should be of great interest to TOV/TOVA'ers and so should be given priority in answering.

The first question I clarified about this new ASEAN 9G Civic was about the interior. As regular TOV/TOVA'ers will now be familiar with, when the USDM 9G Civic, it received some quite polarized comments and some of the most negative ones centered around its interior. They were primarily targeted at what was perceived to be low quality materials used in the interior. I asked the chief engineer who was present at the launch about this. He was surprised I knew about this issue as it is related to the USDM models but he very readily admitted to knowing about the comments/concerns. He replied that the materials are not identical. Obviously the suppliers are different which means the materials are different. However, the actual specifications of the materials are similar. Nevertheless, there are detailed changes to the interior including more padding for the seats. 

As I have not seen the insides of the 9G USDM Civic up close, I am unable to make a personal comparison. What I can offer is a photo of the dashboard of the 1.8 Civic. For direct comparison, the 1.8 Civic variant should be used as it is the only common variant between the USDM and ASEAN line-up. The other common variant in both line-up is the Civic Hybrid but the one launched by Honda Malaysia comes with a leather interior so may not be a fair comparison. Both 2.0 Civic types comes with leather interior as standard. In any case, there is no 2.0l variant in the USDM line-up. Nevertheless, I also put up a photo of the dashboard of the 2.0 Civic for those who might be interested.

The other major question I directed at the chief engineer during the press conference concerns any specification differences between the suspensions of the AEAN and USDM Civics. To this he confirms that the settings are different. Apparently Honda perceives the expectations of US and ASEAN drivers to be different so the suspensions are tuned differently. US drivers are thought to prefer 'sharp response' which I believe means a preference for better handling. This probably entails compromises in ride comfort. ASEAN drivers on the other hand is perceived to want 'stable ride' which I believe means a soft, cushy comfortable ride. Given this information, the infamous complaint made by the US Consumer Reviews magazine, about the 9G Civic having 'choppy ride', can probably be put into proper perspective by ASEAN TOV/TOVA'ers who are interested in the 9G Civic but are concerned about the CR review.

I will have a more complete coverage in the proper TOVA article.