The 2019 Honda
Civic was spied undergoing emission testing in India last week, courtesy
thewheelz. Its launch is likely to take place late next month. The ninth
generation Honda Civic never made it to India. The tenth generation car is
already halfway through its lifecycle, and it’s arriving in our market directly
in the facelifted avatar. India will get the body and interior from the
Ayutthaya plant located in Thailand.
The Thai-spec 2019
Honda Civic measures 4,648 mm in length, 1,799 mm in width and 1,416 mm in
height. It has a 125 mm ground clearance. The Indian-spec version should have
higher ground clearance. Of the 1.8-litre i-VTEC and 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo
petrol engines available in Thailand, only the former is planned for India. The
latter, a turbocharged unit, was deemed too expensive for even the Honda CR-V
in our market. However, customers here will have a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel
engine option.
The 1.8-litre
naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 141 PS and 174 Nm of torque and
sends drive to the wheels via a CVT. Honda manufactures the 1.6-litre i-DTEC
diesel engine in single-turbo and twin-turbo versions, but in the Civic, it
offers only the former. The single-turbo version develops 120 PS and 300 Nm of
torque. It sends drive to the wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission or a
9-speed automatic transmission. Reports say that the company won’t offer the
latter in our market due to cost concerns.
On the outside, the
Indian-spec 2019 Honda Civic should come with features like LED headlamps with
LED DRLs, 17-inch alloy wheels and LED tail lights. Interior highlights may
include 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with GPS navigation, Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone automatic climate control system, EPB,
8-way (driver)/4-way (passenger) power front seats and leather steering wheel
and seats. On the safety front, expect six airbags, Honda LaneWatch camera and
VSA in the range-topping grade.
The 2019 Honda
Civic will compete with the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra and Skoda
Octavia in India. Its prices may start in the INR 15-20 lakh (ex-showroom)
price range.