Honda discontinues Civic, and CR-V cars; production shift to blame
Japanese automaker Honda has decided to discontinue its flagship models- the Civic sedan and the CR-V SUV in India. The announcement comes in the wake of the company's decision to end manufacturing at its Greater Noida factory and shift production facility to its Tapukara plant in Rajasthan. The company claims that the Tapukara factory is ill-equipped to manufacture large cars. Here are more details.
A statement made by a Honda Cars India spokesperson
"Due to the stoppage of production in Greater Noida Unit, there will be no production of CR-V and Civic as both these models cannot be made in Tapukara plant which was conceived as an integrated plant with high efficiency to produce small and mid-size cars."
The two cars were the company's lowest performers
Both the Civic sedan and the CR-V SUV were among the lowest-selling models in Honda's line-up on our shores. In the past six months, around 850 units of the Civic and a little over 100 of the latter were sold. Meanwhile, the Jazz, WR-V, new-generation City, and Amaze, sell around 700, 1,000, 4,000, and 5,000 units a month on an average, respectively.
Here's recalling the Honda Civic and CR-V
While the Honda Civic has the proportions of a sedan, the latter is an SUV. They both have a chromed grille, sleek LED headlights, and designer alloy wheels. The two cars have a 5-seater cabin with auto climate control, a touchscreen infotainment console with support for connectivity options, and a power steering wheel. There are six airbags, and a rear-view camera, for passengers' safety.
Power and performance
The Honda Civic draws power from a 1.8-liter i-VTEC petrol engine that makes 139hp/174Nm with a CVT automatic gearbox, and a 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel mill that generates 118hp/300Nm with a 6-speed manual unit. Meanwhile, the CR-V has a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, SOHC i-VTEC petrol motor that churns out 152hp at 6,500rpm, 189Nm at 4,300rpm, and comes paired to a CVT gearbox.
What about the pricing?
The Honda Civic was priced in the Rs. 17.94-22.35 lakh bracket, whereas the CR-V's price began at Rs. 28.27 lakh and went up to Rs. 29.50 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). In September this year, the company showcased the CR-V (facelift) globally and said that it is working on the next-generation Civic sedan. However, they are now unlikely to make their way to India.
