With only days to go until the 2014 Paris Auto Show, Honda has gone ahead and unveiled its refreshed Civic and Civic Tourer, as well as the new Civic Sport.
The Civic models all have sportier looks from stem to stern for the 2015 model year, with LED taillights capping things off. As for inside, Honda’s all-new, Android-powered Connect infotainment system is meant to give the driver “convenience and connectivity whilst on the road.” The system uses Android 4.0.4, with its smartphone gestures very much intact.
Meanwhile, the new Civic Sport — a diet Civic Type-R, if you will — arrives on the scene with either 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel or 1.8-liter I-VTEC petrol firepower, driving 118 to 140 horsepower to the front line. Color-coded rear spoiler and 17-inch alloys add to the hot hatch’s looks alongside other Type-R-esque features.
Finally, all of the above will have Honda’s City-Brake Active system as standard. The braking system is meant to minimize or avoid entirely low-speed accidents by applying the brakes if such an event — up to 30 km/h — is detected.
Does this car use the Fit’s front-located fuel, semi-IRS and thusly it’s nice, flat and low rear floor?
I like the CR-X style butt. Pretty aggressive styling overall but it works.
CR-X + Chevy Volt + Toyota Prius. That’s what I see.
I think it looks sharp, but even with that transom window, the high rear belt line and thick c-pillars makes me wonder how bad rearward visibility is. This would seriously annoy me in what’s supposed to be a practical compact.
You’re preaching to the choir, but the choir is singing in a vacuum and nobody is listening. The level belt line, high wrap around greenhouse design is dead. Wait until the NHTSA mandates backup cameras – automakers will probably just delete the back window altogether.
I was wondering how long it was going to take a manufacturer to realize that Android makes for a perfect embedded OS for the infotainment system.
It’s baffling that so many automakers blow money on an OS when Google gives away one for free. Of course, a GUI still needs to be developed, but it can then be built on a nice and speedy graphics library, which makes for much smoother operation than building your very own. (Few off-the-shelf embedded OS’es come with anything more than a super-crude graphics library, as their first use was things like industrial control systems where you don’t need pretty animations and response-time isn’t really that crucial.)
Not to mention that Android programmers practically grow on trees these days, and they are already trained and ready to go.
“I was wondering how long it was going to take a manufacturer to realize that Android makes for a perfect embedded OS for the infotainment system.”
Automotive has a huge NIH problem. Also, Android doesn’t give you that warm, fuzzy “one throat to choke” option that VxWorks and QNX do.
Not all of those Android programmers are good guys. That concerns me when riding in a vehicle upon which I depend for safety of life and limb.
True, but I don’t think the intent would ever be to use Android for the ECU or body computers; you’d use an in-house RTOS, VxWorks, QNX or maybe an rtLinux variant.
At least I hope not. I don’t want a general-purpose OS anywhere near a time-critical system.
Android, QNX Car, iOS CarPlay, WinCE/SYNC and the like are targeted at the ICE. That’s totally fine.
The problem is, once you have a convenient base to host your malware you can attack the ECU with much greater effect. Remember how the 2010 paper had to use the CD player in order to gain the foothold in the car. Back then, you had to hire an agent to slip the infection CD into the player. Nowadays, you can do the same from the convenience of your Amazon AWS instance.
All well and good Honda, but when do we get the new Civic Type R with the 270bhp turbo engine?
Darn, I was expecting some Civic wagon pictures (in brown of course). I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
My first thought, this new body has an Impreza vibe, not necessarily a bad thing.
My Second thought: this is different enough that it could be just for the UK and Europe, not vanilla enough for Luddite Americans, and no obvious rear-door exterior handles? I can see eyes rolling in Joliet already.
During my last several years with Acura, we were sent photos of Civics assembled in Swindon UK, and they looked nothing like cars built for North America. I wish I had more confidence that American Honda Motors would take a chance on this model. They’ve played it safe but boring so far, we’ll wait and see.
I can pretty much guarantee the US model will remain sedan only, and will continue to have a US market front end to go along with the tail.
The only time I can recall where Honda experimented with Euro models in the NA market was the Civic SiR (I think it was made from 2000 – 2003 or so?) which came in a two-door hatch form, sold alongside the plain NA market Civic. I think it’s the EK9 model (it looks like the EK9 Type-R from Initial D) but I’m not sure if EK9 only applies to the JDM market Type-R or to the whole generation/body-style.
I’m not well-versed on all the differences between NA Hondas and Euro Hondas, but it upset me that Europeans get our Acuras with Honda badges. It surprised me when I saw CSX/TSX models badged as Civics/Accords in Europe when I went there for the first time.
IMO way better looking than the current US sedan, which got uglier in my eyes following the 1st year refresh that added chrome inserts to compete with the corolla.
The one thing I am not sure about is those SUV style black plastic wheel arches.
Stop trying to make the digital speedometer happen. It’s not going to happen.
That said, this double decker dashboard light years ahead of the 2006+ Civic.
I think it’s hideous inside and out, though at least someone is making something distinctive.
“Meanwhile, the new Civic Sport — a diet Civic Type-R, if you will — arrives on the scene with either 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel or 1.8-liter I-VTEC petrol firepower, driving 118 to 140 horsepower to the front line. Color-coded rear spoiler and 17-inch alloys add to the hot hatch’s looks alongside other Type-R-esque features.”
Is this what Honda told you to write? 17″ wheels, a spoiler, and a couple of anemic engines and it gets to ride the coattails of the Type-R?
No. Honda doesn’t tell me anything, nor do Mazda, Cadillac, Tesla et al. Here’s what the release actually said:
“The European Civic line-up has been expanded with the introduction of a new derivative, the new Civic Sport. Based on the Civic hatchback, and powered by the 1.6-litre i-DTEC, 120 PS diesel engine or the 1.8-litre I-VTEC, 142 PS petrol engine, it features a colour-coded rear spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels unique to the Sport derivative. In addition, the Civic Sport echoes the striking design of the forthcoming Type R with a new front bumper featuring a lower grille mesh and a black roof lining for the cabin.”
Thus, Diet Type R (because diet drinks pale against the real thing).
Meh.
All this misses the vital point – Honda is about dead in Europe, as is Subaru.
Honda sales are way down. They plan on making only 120,000 vehicles at their Swindon UK factory this year, which has capacity for 250,000. Last year they made 140,000. They hold 1.2% of the market. They have laid off almost a thousand workers. Meanwhile, Nissan makes almost half a million in the UK, and has also opened a Leaf and accompanying battery factory.
The CRV cannot compete with the Nissan Qashqai, because it looks odd and the interior is schmuck. The Civic, as shown here in its new disguise tries to appeal to boy racers, but actual buyers (were) are old age pensioners looking for reliable but stodgy cars who are turned off by its looks and crap interior, not to mention high prices.
The TSX never had a hope of competing with BMW and Audi, and as we all know, is no longer made.
All this info is easily verifiable on the internet. As usual of late, Honda flounders and hasn’t got the faintest clue what to do next. Same situation as Acura in the US.
They seem to be completely incapable of figuring out what the market needs. Totally, completely dumb. They appear to believe high quality mechanicals command a high price irrespective of the virtues of the rest of the car, which few people want. People want something to impress their pals, not some horrendous Japanese spaceship with wacko interior.
Space-age styling and cheapo-looking interiors just do not cut the mustard. Everyone thinks the CRV looks odd. Only because Honda have sold millions in North America are we used to its utterly dorky looks.
Also, in the last few years in the UK market, Honda has disenfranchised virtually all its small dealers. These locals were located in smaller towns and cities and gave decent service, especially for the aging demographic they served. New “main dealers” couldn’t care less about Mrs Smith, who now has to drive 40 miles to get an oil change at some glittering “don’t give a damn” emporium, when Fred down the street used to be so handy. Yup, Honda was the favorite of the “blue-rinse” set, and they threw it all away chasing pie-in-the-sky big sales.
Honda now finds itself with uncompetitive product and no interest from the general public. All documented on websites over the years. All anyone wants to talk about is late 1990s product. Death knell.
The Acura beak remains in North America, despite the crisis committee they formed here less than a year ago to plot the future direction of the brand. I predicted here on TTAC then that nothing would change, because if it did, some high-falutin’ Japanese Honda executives would have to admit their mistakes. Not going to happen, and the committee report was a laugh when it emerged. Nothing changed at all.
No. Honda would rather march to their death in Europe than admit to their mistakes. They don’t know what to do. Bewildered and lost due only to misplaced pride.
In the same way VW cannot get its North American lineup right, and just doesn’t get it, Honda Europe just cannot, or will not, bow to the obvious and make cars that appeal to local taste. They are unbending and rigid and doomed to die in that market. It’s as simple as that.
If they had 10% of the market as here, they could dictate taste to some extent, just from familiarity on the roads. In Europe, they have 1.2%, and nobody, not a soul, cares what Honda thinks, or its styling, rank interiors or its high prices.
It really goes to show how unbending Japanese business culture really is. They would rather hop in the toilet and flush themselves away than risk a blow to their pride.
Quite silly people in the aggregate, in my opinion.
I actually really like this, though I’m sure the lighting in the shots helps a lot. It’s a space car, but in a good way.
Pity we’ll never get one over here because Honda hates North America for some reason, this would be the one compact I’d shop against the current Mazda3.
The interior looks like it finally caught up with the Mazda3. The Mazda3 last generation. Honda’s designers need to think outside the box and come up with some novel ideas.
I am sure we won’t get this in the US, but that’s too bad… this would sell.