Honda's five-door hatchback has yet to progress beyond the European market. Should it?
- Yes it definitely should! So why hasn't it happened?
First of all, the five-door hatchback body of the Honda Civic has been developed primarily for Europe as buyers in that part of the world prefer that silhouette which offers a combination of practicality and compactness.
The Civic you see here is the all-new version that is currently wooing motor show-goers in Frankfurt, Germany. America and Asia get saloon variants, albeit with slightly different cosmetic lines to cater to the particular requirements in those two markets.
- But wasn't the Civic born as a hatch?
Correct, and that meant that hatchbacks weren't necessarily confined to the Old World. Thai fans of the Civic will probably also remember the three-door version of the fifth-generation model that was made here back in the '90s.
But since the arrival of the seventh-generation Civic, Honda has decided to cage the hatchback in Europe. It should be noted, however, that a limited number of the racy Civic Type R (in three-door format) were set loose in Japan (a few of which ended up being sold on the Thai grey market).
- Is Honda set to reverse its policy?
While they haven't uttered a single word about this, they are definitely not turning a blind eye on the matter. Ford and Mazda have been successful with the Focus and 3 hatchbacks, respectively, even though saloons are more popular in Thailand.
Chevrolet and Mitsubishi are also monitoring the reception these two cars get because both firms have hatchbacks _ based on the Cruze and Lancer _ on sale elsewhere.
A source at Honda says Ford and Mazda are in more comfortable positions to sell both saloons and hatchbacks for the C-segment since four- and five-door bodies have many exterior and interior parts in common.
The Civic hatch and saloon have far more bespoke components than their rivals _ even the rear suspension isn't the same, meaning that Honda would have to invest more in its Thai production process.
It has the same chunky steering wheel as the saloon version.
- What would it take to convince Honda?
As in most other business concerns, it's all about the level of demand. But Honda wouldn't need as much support as in the B-segment City/Jazz scenario since the Civic has higher margins.
We'd wager that any Thais allowed a glimpse of the Civic hatch in the metal (so to speak) would heartily approve of it. And we're talking potential car buyers in general here, not just local Honda converts.
Have a look at the Civic hatch in these pictures _ it looks much more exciting than its rivals _ as well as the saloon, both inside and outside the car.
- Agreed. What else is new in Europe?
Two technical aspects. The first is the 2.2-litre diesel-turbo engine (also used in the CR-V for Europe) which has improved power outputs of 150hp and 350Nm. Together with automatic stop/go tech, the diesel Civic is capable of doing more than 20kpl.
The second feature is the chassis. Despite a more conventional rear torsion beam, the handling and ride balance is claimed to be on the sporty side (which can always be tuned if buyers demand more comfortable set-ups).
- Oh ... and when's the saloon coming?
The Civic saloon has already gone into its eighth generation _ that occurred in the US earlier this year _ but we have yet to see a version in Asia which supersedes the seventh-gen one currently available in Thai showrooms. That could well happen next year, however, since Honda (Thailand) is hoping to launch the all-new CR-V first at December's Motor Expo.
The rear suspension’s still the torsion-beam type.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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