Today, the 2019 Honda Civic (facelift) for
international markets has been revealed, and it is this model that will launch
in India early next year. The Japanese carmaker has introduced mild cosmetic
changes on the historic nameplate and has standardized its Honda Sensing
technology in a bid to increase safety.
On the outside, the 2019 Civic gets a new piano
black "wing" (earlier the Honda wing was in chrome), redesigned
bumpers with a full width front splitter, updated halogen or LED headlights,
chrome accent on the lower rear bumper, new wheel designs, and the addition of
a new Sport trim.
There are no changes to the interior save for an
updated 7-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a volume
button. All variants of the 2019 Civic get the Honda Sensing technology which
includes Collision Mitigation Braking System with forward collision warning,
Road Departure Mitigation with Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist
System and Adaptive Cruise Control. These features are unlikely to make it to
India however.
For the Indian market, the 2019 Honda Civic will be
powered by a 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel engine and a 1.8-liter i-VTEC petrol
engine. The former manufactured in India at Honda's Rajasthan plant for export
markets, however, will be detuned. By deleting a turbocharger from the twin
turbo system (offered internationally), the output of this diesel engine will
be 120 PS and 300 Nm. It will be paired with a 9-speed automatic gearbox.
The Civic's main rivals in India are the Toyota
Corolla Altis, Skoda Octavia, and the Hyundai Elantra. The body and the
interior will be locally assembled from Thai-made CKD packs.