Honda Australia officially scuttles Civic hatch - but Type-R is still a chance

[jklo]

HONDA has confirmed that it will not introduce the current Civic five-door hatchback from Europe in Australia.

"We are not going to get the English Civic five-door hatchback in its current guise," Honda Australia Senior Director Lindsay Smalley told GoAuto.

A strong English currency against the Australian dollar, and problems meeting demand at the Swindon plant in England – the sole global source for all eighth-generation Civic hatchbacks – are being cited as the main reasons for its non-arrival Down Under.

A lack of a suitably powerful petrol engine and full automatic gearbox combination is another, as the 103kW 1.8-litre i-VTEC unit produces a relatively modest 174Nm of torque, and is mated to Honda’s i-Shift clutchless-manual transmission, similar to Alfa’s Selespeed set-up.

Furthermore, the European Civic hatchback is in fact built off the Jazz light-car platform, and so it is now being considered too small against the latest round of larger small cars, including this year’s all-new Toyota Corolla range.

One Honda insider revealed to GoAuto that a fully loaded British-built Civic i-Shift hatchback could nudge $70,000 by the time it lands in Australia, effectively rendering it unsaleable.

However, this does not necessarily mean that a Civic hatchback will not be offered over the next two years.

According to Honda Australia managing director and CEO Toshio Iwamoto, the three-door Civic Type-R might be released in Australia, as a limited-volume sports hatch.

The Type-R (left) uses a 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine that produces 147kW at 7800rpm and 192Nm at 5600rpm.

The Civic Type-R would occupy the same sector that the cult 1999 Integra Type R abandoned in 2001.

More intriguing is the hint of another Honda hatchback in the making.

Speculation is mounting that a low-cost ASEAN region five-door hatchback, to be built in either Japan or Thailand, may surface within the next 12 months.

Based on the current-generation Civic sedan, it will be a larger, lower-cost alternative to the smaller Civic hatchback from Europe, in much the same way that today’s Thai-built Accord VTi/V6 sedan is a cheaper alternative to the smaller and more sophisticated Accord Euro range from Japan.

Mr Iwamoto refused to comment on such a vehicle, but did say that the next-generation Civic hatchback, due from about 2010, may be built in Asia. He also revealed that Honda has a work in progress in its R&D department that might be suitable.

Mr Iwamoto admitted that he desperately wanted to offer a competitor to the Toyota Corolla hatchback.

"We are missing the Civic five-door," he said. "Fifty per cent of the small-car segment is the five-door hatch, and we are missing the product."

Source: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257283000067D3

[SPEEDCORE]

The Civic Type-R still has a chance??

At what? $100k AUD?

[aaronng]

They should just make the 4-door CTR concept a production model and sell it to RHD countries. For countries that need a cheap price, make it in thailand with crate engines from Japan. Only problem I can think of is if whether production of the k20a/z3 can keep up with demand.

[xtercii]

thought oz was never expecting the hatch to come anyway, and we've always entertained ourself that the type R has a good chance to pop up. My bet is no honda sports car for few years at least…it's hinted in the other thread anyway...

[panda[cRx]]

Speculation is mounting that a low-cost ASEAN region five-door hatchback, to be built in either Japan or Thailand, may surface within the next 12 months.

have been hearing this for a while, only thing is we'd need to wait for the a plant for the civics to be built

[Tofu]

But honestly, paying anything close to $50k for a "Civic" is laughable!

[0098]

yes too much

[panda[cRx]]

they just said they are making a cheaper asian version so where are you pulling these BS $50k figures from?

they'll make it at a competitive price to it's competitors and i can almost guarantee it'll be better than anything else at similar cost (like most of the current honda range)

[aaronng]

If they can release it at the same price as a Golf GTI, while being faster in the 1/4 mile, it's possible to actually put a foot into the prestige hot hatches. Remember, back when Honda last did the Type R, they were labeled boy-racer cars because the premium brands were not in this segment. Now that many luxury brands are making hot hatches, Honda can come back to familiar ground without having that negative labelling. Even boy racer parts like a shift light is common standard equipment in euro hot hatches.

[jklo]

"One Honda insider revealed to GoAuto that a fully loaded British-built Civic i-Shift hatchback could nudge $70,000 by the time it lands in Australia, effectively rendering it unsaleable"

Highly doubt that Honda Australia will be decking their showrooms with any sport models anytime soon. As the article suggests, with a fully decked civic euro, it will top $70k. How are they going to sell?

[EG30]

I reckon if they do end up bringing the CTR from the UK to AUST they would have to sell it for $34990 to $35990 ie very close to the price of the Clio sport. Too close or above the sensitive $40K threshold it's WRX territory. It's fine for the Mazda MPS to get sold in small nos as they have plenty of cooking versions Mazda 3's on the market so the MPS can afford to a be halo/hero model.

I'm sure if Honda bring the Civic CTR or 5 dr version they would want to sell them in decent volume instead of a niche model to make the service & spare parts infrastructure viable.

I would no doubt buy a CTR over the Gold Gti even if they are at the same pricepoint but most social climbers won't as the VW badge is very important to some.

[Euro76]

I think Honda Aust should be considering bringing the CTR 4 door. I heard the Asian market will get it as well, and will be built in Thailand. Despite Australia free trade agreement with Thailand I think CTR 4 door can be brought here and sold it as limited amount at $40k each. Just IMO though