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NEWS
Facelifted Honda Civic set for LA reveal
Updated compact sedan conceived to address weak points in ninth-generation CivicIt’s not even been two years since Honda unveiled its ninth-gen Civic at the 2011 Detroit motor show, yet the Japanese manufacturer is already rolling out an updated version that’s set to debut later this month at the Los Angeles motor show.
Honda Australia says our Civic won't be affected for the time being as it comes from Thailand, but North America's revised Civic offers improved comfort and safety levels, and mods to the chassis and interior are complemented by a raft of styling tweaks to give the compact sedan added visual pizzazz.
The external revisions include a new open-mouth lower bumper with a horizontal chrome accent and a sportier, black honeycomb mesh grille with foglights housed in the outer extremes. Further up, the main grille is flanked by new clear-lens corner lights to provide a more premium look, while a more sculpted bonnet is designed to add visual muscle.
Out back sits a new bumper design and reprofiled bootlid that’s capped by a horizontal chrome strip. The taillights have also been extended into the bootlid, which Honda claims gives the car a more upscale look. Meanwhile, the rear bumper features integrated reflector treatments and a new lower diffuser panel finished with a honeycomb mesh vent.
Honda hasn’t as yet elaborated on the technical updates, but says in its press blurb that it will release full details when the car is unveiled at the LA show on November 29.
Formerly a prominent player in the small-car category, the Civic has languished of late, with just 8418 Australian sales until the end of October this year. This is well adrift of the segment-leading Mazda3 (35,776 units), Toyota Corolla (31,066), Holden Cruze (25,142) and Hyundai i30 (24,212).
The early arrival of the updated model is a consequence of Honda CEO Takanobu Ito’s admission that he had ordered the current Civic to be decontented in view of the global recession. As a result, the 2013 car is expected to feature better quality interior trim and higher feature levels.
Meanwhile, Honda has also released images of its answer to the Renault Twizy, namely the Micro Commuter Prototype revealed in Japan this week.
The puny inner-city trundler is powered by a 15kW electric motor that drives the rear wheels, with a lithium-ion battery providing the charge. According to Honda, the Micro Commuter can hit 80km/h and has a touring range of 65km, while charging time using 240 volts is quoted at three hours.
Although only a prototype for now, Honda plans to begin demonstration testing in Japan in the first half of 2013.
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Written byGautam Sharma
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