Eighth generation Honda Civic was first launched in India in July 2006 at a starting price of Rs 10.75 lakhs, ex-showroom New Delhi. Powered by a 1.8l iVTEC petrol motor, the car was sold as CKD. Soon becoming the best selling car in its segment. But, the rise in petrol price, and the launch of new rivals with diesel engine options, slowly resulted in the decline of sales of Civic.
In 2011, Honda Civic 9th generation was revealed, and that too with an all-new 1.6l iDTEC diesel engine. Hopes of Honda car fans in the country rose, as they expected Honda India to bring this car to India. But sadly, this engine was made for Europe and was not compatible with India, at that time.
Now, story seems to be different and getting better for Civic fans. Recently, Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) has imported a brand new Civic diesel into the country. This car has been imported from United Kingdom for Research and Development purpose.
Over the years, we have asked Honda India officials about the Civic. Will they be bringing it back? Are there any plans? Is there a date? All these have been resulted in an ambiguous answer. But with this new revelation by Zauba, it seems that Honda India is definitely working towards bringing the new Civic to India, and that too in a diesel guise.
If launched, Honda Civic will be priced in the Rs 15 lakh range and will compete with the likes of Skoda Octavia, Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta. Apart from the Civic, Honda also has plans to bring the new Accord and CR-V with 1.6l iDTEC diesel engine.
You can see images of new Civic in the gallery below.
