A new Civic look, and likely higher prices are on the way.
Honda has released the first photos of 2013 Civic Sedan, ahead of its debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show on 29 November. Mild styling tweaks are evident on the best selling compact-class car that goes on sale at Honda dealerships the same day.
The previous Civic was justly criticized for being too cheap as Honda removed content and substituted less expensive materials, but it went on to be best seller in the class in spite of tepid media reviews.
There’s a new open-mouth lower bumper with a horizontal chrome accent and a black honeycomb mesh grille with fog lights on upper trims. The grille is flanked by new clear-lens corner lights to provide a “more premium” look. There is also a new rear bumper design and new rear trunk. The bumper has a new lower diffuser panel finished with a honeycomb mesh vent.
Early in 2013 Honda will add to Indiana the Civic Hybrid, its most popular selling hybrid model in the U.S., which is its largest market. Indiana was the first Honda plant in North America to build a hybrid vehicle when it started Acura ILX Hybrid production in April of 2012.
The Civic hybrid ($25,000-$28,000), is virtually identical in sharing mechanical components with the much more expensive Acura ILX hybrid ($28,795 – $35,000). However, because of its lighter weight, the Civic is rated at a much better EPA estimated 44 city/44 highway/44 combined.
Including the current Honda Civic Natural Gas, Acura ILX Hybrid and future Civic Hybrid production, HMIN has a claim to have the most diverse alternative-fuel production capability of any plant in North America.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
