Honda unveils 'Civic' in India, to make 1000 units pm

New Delhi, July 4: Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (HSCI), leading manufacturers of premium cars in the country, today unveiled the stylish Honda 'Civic' here, with the all new aluminium 1.8 litre i-vtec engine delivering power of 132 PS at 6300 rpm.

''The heart of the eighth generation Civic, one of the most stylish products launched by us, is the 1.8 litre engine that gives class-leading fuel efficiency. For India specifically, we have added some new features in the car like the rear seat audio control,'' Honda Motor Co Ltd Presidnt and CEO Takeo Fukui told reporters here.

''We plan to produce a total of 1000 units of the 'Civic' per month initially at our Greater Noida facility, and will then increase production according to the demand,'' HSCI President and CEO Masahiro Takedagawa said.

He added that the car will be manufactured with 68 per cent localisation, which will be increased to 80 per cent within the next two years. The car will be sold through the present 51 dealerships of HSCI, which the company plans to ramp up to 66 facilities by March, 2007.

Honda car India is looking at selling 63,000 cars in this financial year, as compared to the last years 43,000 cars in total.

The Honda Civic was launched globally in January this year, and will now be seen on the Indian roads after significant customisations and changes were made on it to suit the conditions here.

On the increasing interest of foreign companies in India, Mr Fukui said, India has become the preferred destination for global companies from different fields, but holds tremendous potential for auto manufacturers worldwide. ''We will speed up out expansion and investment plans, because auto business in India is on a fast track,'' he said.

Available in two variants -- the Manual and Automatic, the Civic is priced at Rs 10.75 lakh and Rs 11.45 lakh respectively (ex-showroom price Delhi), and is available in 6 colours including the silver, black and white. It is touted to give a mileage of 10.5 to 11 km per litre.

The car, targetted at the trendsetters, includes features like ABS (Anti-locking Brake System), EBD (electronic brake force distribution system), dual SRS airbags, and follows City's one-motion principle. It has an aero-dynamic and sporty body, with the interiors affording spacious leg-room.

Besides its standard features, the Civic has only two optional features for the customers to chose from --the 5-speed manual or the 5-speed auto transmission, (introduced for the first time in this segement) and the colour.

Honda, which sells the Accord (also manufactured in Noida), the City, and a SUV, is exploring the possibilities of launching a new compact car, smaller than its City ZX model sedan, following the Indian government's announcement of providing incentives for manufacturers of such cars.

UNI