The Honda Civic diesel was discontinued in India for a brief period after the industry’s shift to BS6 emission norms
Honda Car India has re-launched its popular D-segment sedan, Civic in BS6 diesel format. The 10th-gen Honda Civic diesel BS6 comes to the Indian market in two variants: VX MT and ZX MT. Ex-showroom prices stand at Rs 20.75 lakh and Rs 22.35 lakh, respectively. The current-gen Honda Civic’s petrol variant was already compliant to BS6 specifications during its launch held back in March 2019. Prices for the same start at Rs 17.94 lakh ex-showroom.
The Honda Civic is the longest-running nameplate in the Japanese automaker’s global portfolio. In fact, Honda has already started testing its next-generation ahead of a possible launch timeline in late 2021. In India, the sedan primarily rivals Hyundai Motor’s Elantra and Skoda Auto’s Octavia (new model coming soon).
Speaking of its re-introduction, Rajesh Goel, Sr. Vice President and Director (Marketing & Sales) at Honda Car India Ltd (HCIL) stated that the company is committed to bringing the latest in the industry to our market. With the launch of the 2020MY Honda Civic diesel, Honda Car India has updated its entire sedan lineup to BS6 specifications in both petrol and diesel formats. Launch of the all-new 5th Gen Honda City is right around the corner.
The Honda Civic BS6 diesel is powered by a 1.6-litre i-DTEC four-cylinder engine coming under Earth Dream Technology series. It promises a fuel economy of 23.9km/l while output figures remain roughly the same — 118bhp @ 4,000rpm and 300Nm @ 2,000rpm. It is available only with a 6-speed manual transmission.
On the other hand, the Honda Civic BS6 petrol gets a 1.8-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder motor good for 139bhp @ 6,500rpm and 174Nm @ 4,300rpm. Fuel economy is rated as 16.5km/l. There is no manual transmission option but a 7-step CVT unit.
In terms of features, the only difference between its BS4 counterpart is the addition of curtain airbags in the ‘VX’. Hence, either diesel BS6 variants come with six airbags as standard. Other equipment such as dual-zone climate control, 8-way powered driver seat, 7.0-inch touchscreen, 7.0-inch digital instrument console, Lane Watch camera, hill-start assist, etc., are borrowed. Furthermore, the current-gen Honda Civic has scored five stars in ASEAN NCAP.
The Indian market is eagerly looking forward to the 2020MY Honda City BS6. Rumours suggest that Honda Car India is also considering the launch of a 1.0-litre turbo petrol City variant, like the model which debuted in Thailand late last year.
