The 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback had just been released but Honda is not stopping plans on their top selling model. Honda executives believe that the time of diesel is over and that it is just suiting for the Civic hybrid version to be done and get its fair share in the hybrid market to compete with the likes of Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq.
“After the Volkswagen emissions scandal, we have to think about it. We are big on hybrid in Japan and the US. We have that technology and we are thinking about it.” said Katsushi Inoue chief operating officer of Honda.
From 2012 to 2016, Honda successfully launched three hybrid systems model: a sedan, a midsize car and a full size vehicle so producing the Hybrid version of the Honda Civic can be easy. However, Inoue also point out that they are not rushing things. It is clear how important the Honda Civic is for the brand. Its sale figures is at 600,000 yo 700,000 units per year and they need to meticulously plan the electrification of it. If the Civic fails, Honda will fail too.
Although there are many positive reviews about the new 2017 Honda Civic, Honda's own surveys of Civic customers resulted to disappointing figures. In their survey of around a thousand people around the world, many were disappointed that the new Honda Civic is not a hybrid and that the Civic fanatics expected more. It was the reason that Honda panicked and plans for the hybrid Honda Civic were brought in the table soon enough.
As of the writing, information about the hybrid honda civic is still very few. What is clear is that the newly launched Honda Civic is ready for a hybrid overhaul. It has been designed from the outset with electrified powertrains in mind and it can also be compatible with hybrid systems. Because of this, the hybrid Honda civic may be possible by the end of the decade.
“The new platform is very flexible and has incorporated the possibility for future hybrid versions,” Civic development leader Mitsuru Kariya said. “The evolutionary steps from a diesel engine are now more or less limited, so we are shifting resources from diesel to electrification” he concluded.
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