Honda Cars India has imported the 9th generation Civic with diesel engine in the country. The vehicle has been imported from UK for “Research & Development” purpose. After seven successful years, the company discontinued the Civic from the Indian car market in 2012. This sedan enjoys an excellent enthusiasts following, and this popularity could be help the manufacturer to make the new Civic diesel a successful product in the country.
The previous generation Civic was powered by the 1.8-litre 4-cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine. Paired to a five-speed manual transmission and automatic gearbox options, this engine produces 140PS of power and 174Nm of peak torque. The increase in gap between petrol and diesel prices has forced buyers to opt for diesel powered cars, which affected the sales of petrol powered Civic sedan. The slow selling Civic was finally phased out from the market in 2012.
The new Honda Civic diesel sedan will surely create some buzz among enthusiasts across the nation. The imported vehicle was the left hand drive version. It is powered by the 1.6-litre, all-aluminium EarthDreams turbo diesel unit that is capable of developing a top power output of 120bhp and a peak torque of 300Nm.
Like the Amaze and City sedan, the high-level of localization for the Civic sedan could be a perfect product to introduce in India. Moreover, the diesel engine with high fuel efficiency could surely attract many buyers. The Japanese automaker is also contemplating the new generation Accord and CR-V facelift in diesel avatars. The Civic diesel might work as a testing bed for these products; however, the company hasn’t revealed anything on the same.
