25 October 2012

Honda to update US version of Honda Civic on 29th November?

Before being accused of being blogger who merely condemn car without looking, this piece of new came from the Autoblog. The news is said to come from David Hendly, AVP of Honda National Sales. Taking the excerpt from the articles, Honda dealers are urged to clear the stock of the 2012 Honda Civic as soon as possible as the 2013 model will make life hard for the 2012 model when they are parked side by side in the showroom floor. The enhanced model will be announced on 29th November, which is the opening day of the Los Angeles Motorshow. According to the articles:


"The changes made to the 2013 model will make the outgoing 2012 Civic a difficult model [to] sell when they are side to side."

Another source of article, cited from Hondasacuras said:

When it arrives on your lots you will see dramatic improvements to the exterior styling that moves Civic into a more premium sporty direction. The interior has even more upgrades and improvements to bring more sophistication and quality to its appearance.

While there is no mentioned specifically about what the upgrades details are, it is clearly visible that our Asian version looks markedly more upmarket than its sibling in the US. For one, the front end is treated with different headlight (with amber lens thanks to US regulation) and a different front bumper (almost similar but with blander lower portion with straight lip and empty grille garnish). Asian version gets a more upmarket headlight with clear lenses and sportier bumper with meshed grille insert and more pronounced lower lip. The rear end is differentiated by the reflector insert in the slightly redesigned trunk lid which lift the outlook somewhat.

It is harder to comment on the interior as we have no chance to touch and feel the cabin plastic, however we noted that the climate control panel is different. Malaysian press said that the plastic material is due to different cost structure which was stressed very hard so we have to take their word for it.

MMN thinks the update will consist of a better aesthetic and materials found in the Asian car. However for full confirmation, wait till Los Angeles Motorshow then. For comparison between the appearance between Asian and US Civic, refer below:
Comparison of Asian and US Civic Si - front end

Comparison of Asian and US Civic - rear end

Comparison of Asian and US Civic - interior



No comments: