2012 Honda Civic Unveiled in New York

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By Alborz Fallah | April 21st, 2011

The all-new 2012 Honda Civic has been unveiled at the New York Autoshow. The 9th generation Civic replaces an ageing model with a more modern design and loads of new features.

In the United States the Civic will be offered in five different models, including the Civic Hybrid and Civic Coupe. Australian specifications are all unconfirmed at this stage but we suspect the Hybrid will make it here along with other sedan models.

The new Honda Civic Hybrid will make use of Lithium-ion batteries, which will give it a significant boost in the battery wars against the Toyota Prius and the recently launched Honda Insight which still use nickel-hydride batteries.

In the U.S. the five Civic models will be powered by four different engines: 1.8-litre petrol, 2.4-litre high-performance petrol, 1.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid, and compressed natural gas (CNG) engine.

On top of that there is now an “intelligent” Multi-Information Display (i-MID) which will work with USB, Bluetooth and iPods, an available Eco Assist™ system and a new Motion Adaptive Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system that works in conjunction with Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®).

The styling has been revised to resemble the new Honda family look and is a welcome change to the current Civics more conservative look.

According to Honda America the new Civic is a model that had personalization as its starting point and as a result of the different engine choices and variants, the Japanese company can offer a small vehicle to suit everyone’s needs.

CarAdvice will bring you details of Australian specification Civics as soon as we know.

Henry F

With the sedan, Honda have managed to mix a bland exterior with a disjointed interior – rather disappointing. The 2-door is a little better on the outside.

There’s better Japanese and European equivalents on the market.
Baddass

HONDA HAS LOST THE PLOT!!!
Car Fanatic

The Euro styled Civic at least looked aggressive and modern.
Pauly

Honda have officially lost it.

Why the hell even bother making this when compared to it\’s competition it looks like rubbish! And is that hard plastic I see on the dash? In 2011? Idiots!

The Civic coupe looks nicer and the sport model, Civic Si? Would sell well here.

Unfortunately since Honda Australia are run by morons, I am sure they won\’t import it.

It makes me so angry that a car company with a history as rich as Honda, seems to have just lost it\’s way and making such bland cars. It could be forgiven if the car was a class leader (like the vw golf), but it\’s not even there!

This is just \’some\’ car.

Honda you should be ashamed to even have your badge stuck on this.

Nasal Explorer

@pauly says “It makes me so angry. . .”

Just buy something else then.

Honda Fan

Right on Pauly.

This problem is known as Toyota syndrome.

A brand has recent success as a result of taking (good) risks in design of its car and now when the next models come out they are too scared to take risks as it may lose sales. But its funny because by not taking risks they are going to experience the same side effects as they feared.

cocnut

reminds me of the previous generation camry… bland, white goods on wheels..

Don Quay

I thought the same thing immediately when I saw the rear of it. Previous model Camry lights. My first cars (A few years ago!) were the first and second generation Civics, but this one won’t make me go back to driving one again.
I hope the Euro model, if there is to be one, better styled, inside and out.

Honda Fan

You could put a Westinghouse badge on it and park it in my kitchen and I would try to find the electricity plug for it.

White goods on wheels.

Shak

This doesn’t actually look like a new car. It looks directly copied from the current generation sold in some Asian markets especially India. Last time i was there i saw cars that looked exactly like this!
pugphile

Obviously designed by yanks for yanks…..yucckkk!
K20A

Can’t wait until 2016!
K20A

Probably the City? It was released there before Aus. Front and rear treatment very much mimics the City.. which isn’t a great look in the first place.

Even a blind man can see that this is one unattractive car. Put it next to Mazda3 (its nemesis).. no competition there. This car is not ugly.. but simply ‘not being ugly’ won’t cut it anymore. This isn’t the 90s.

Virtually any C-segment car is better looking than this. I sometimes think the Cerato should be the new Civic. It has the Civic’s spirit in its form, but executed to a whole new level.

Honda, it’s time to learn from the Koreans!

K20A

This reply was for Shak’s comment above. Bloody forms has gone crazy in the past few weeks.. fix it CA!

Shak

Yeah your right about the comment section going berserk. Anyway, yeah i saw quite a few City’s but the Civic in India had identical tailights, and very similar frontal looks.

Duckula

Its just plain off… like milk left out in the sun…thats all I have to say…
YoLex

Awful dash! Looks like Nissan Pulsar i rented in 1996
http://caradvice OSU811

Yaaaawwwnnnnn another boring Honda!!
at least the current model SI Civic Hatch looks
sporty and different, this new sedan looks even more
boring than the current sedan!!
Chili Dog

What happened to you, Honda? You used to be cool.
Valet Dabess

the civic get worse and worse every year! the interior is one of the worst i\’ve seen too, it\’s like they put anything anywhere. the 2 door looks ok from the outside though
Smoothcall

Are you sure these are the photos of the new model?
Crummydore

Is this for the USA market only – they usually have a better looking version for Japan and Europe and save these the ‘uglier’ versions for America.

Lets hope so because these cars really do not look that great and the dash boards… oh Honda, what are you doing?!!!
Hjalle

This article reads like it is directly from the sales department at Honda. This looks 10 times worse and more boring than the current Civic. They are definatly going backwards.
Josh

Dual exhaust pipe gone, ugly A pillar, camry’ish tail, messy dashboard… The front bumper looks like a direct port from 8th USDM gen civic

The current civic looks better
mrxandthexfactor

Disgusting… no offence, but Honda has gone in the wrong direction to make their cars more modern.
Ectomorphian

I was reserving my judgments until I saw whole slabs of off-grey plastics in the interior. A customer doesn’t want to be time-warped back to the 80s. Why, Honda?
HJP

Honda, what have you done to this car? You made it even worse than current model, especially the interior, your interior designers must be on drugs? It’s all out of place. Let’s hope our Civic don’t get this styling.
Josh

To top it up, the classy sliding compartment cover is gone, replaced with two cup holders (cost saving to the max???)… Even the steering wheel look cheap compared to 8th gen… As a current FD1 owner, I seriously think the korean look way better than this
Vins

Super bland…
dadar

I’m sorry Honda, the tribe has spoken.
erneztp

Look at that rear end!! Are you serious Honda? You are going backward in design department. Bland, boring, uninviting, not much different to Corolla. I’m always a Civic big fan, but this is just disappointing.
vtecnomore

used to love Hondas.. now im moving onto VW.. a step in the right direction! the power of dreams is dead =(
chnny

did korea and japan make some kind of deal?
nick

I’m an outspoken Honda fan, but I think they’ve lost touch with what made their cars so good in the past – purposeful looks, reliability, innovative designs and technologies, and understated, tasteful and well-made interiors! I would have loved the new Civic to be a revival of an old-fashioned Honda ethos (think EK and EGs), alas this is not the case…
Jd

The back lights look exactly like the 2002-2004 Toyota camry
Fugly Car

Hard to comprehend this actually being the next generation Civic and not a mistake. The market has evolved significantly in the last 12 months, I mean seriously who would have foreseen Kia raising there standard and Honda going backwards?!

They need to spend the next 12 months figuring out a plan B or else there customers will when it comes time to buy their new cars
Nick K

This is pure s&@t Honda… Hang your heads in shame.
Ford Man

It looks like Honda have been too busy playing with up and down (as per their commercial) instead of focusing on designing decent looking cars.

This car, especially the brake lights, looks abit like a smaller version of the previous generation Toyota Camry!

Car designers have been producing some absolute shockers recently.
Honda Fan

Far far far far far too conservative.

Note to car manufacturers, its time to take some risks. Leave the boring cars to Toyota.
Honda Fan

The article must be front Honda’s marketing department:

“The 9th generation Civic replaces an ageing model with a more modern design and loads of new features.”

“The styling has been revised to resemble the new Honda family look and is a welcome change to the current Civics more conservative look.”

This car looks LESS modern and MORE conservative than the current model.