[Smartie]

Honda just announced that they would be discontinuing the Civic CNG and the Civic Hybrid...for now...

According to his statement – titled “Advancing Environment a Natural Fit in Honda Vehicle Lineup” – the Honda Civic CNG and Civic Hybrid will end with the ninth-generation compact. The tenth-generation Civic will instead offer two engines – one normally aspirated and one turbocharged, in addition to the Type R – and Honda will abandon its single motor hybrid system in favor of two- and three-motor variants.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...and-accord-plug-in-hybrid-models-get-the-axe/

 

[RobbJK88]

Interesting... They keep saying 2 engines... the 2.0NA and the 1.5T. It really makes me wonder about the Si. They havent really mentioned the Si at all thus far. Everything has been about the regular civics and the Type R.... could they be rebranding the Si somehow? Will they use the 1.5T in the Si and just tune it to the max output to match the current 2.4 but with more torque??? Will there be an Si? When they say the 2.0 is in the base model, and the 1.5T is "upper trims" do they mean EX and above? Or do they just consider the Si an "upper trim".

Very odd. Usually the Si is the halo to which the other civic trims aspire to. If they use the 1.5T in the EX/EXL, and tune it for the Si as well, won't that make it super easy to for people to reflash their EX/EXLs to Si power figures?

 

[jamis]

IIRC, the 9th gen. Si was announced separately and later than the other models. Like months apart. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Civil]

I'm surprised they would get rid of the hybrid. Do you think they are actually getting rid of it, or are they just going to wait it out and offer it to people sometime in the future?

 

[Smartie]

Interesting... They keep saying 2 engines... the 2.0NA and the 1.5T. It really makes me wonder about the Si. They havent really mentioned the Si at all thus far. Everything has been about the regular civics and the Type R.... could they be rebranding the Si somehow? Will they use the 1.5T in the Si and just tune it to the max output to match the current 2.4 but with more torque??? Will there be an Si? When they say the 2.0 is in the base model, and the 1.5T is "upper trims" do they mean EX and above? Or do they just consider the Si an "upper trim".

Very odd. Usually the Si is the halo to which the other civic trims aspire to. If they use the 1.5T in the EX/EXL, and tune it for the Si as well, won't that make it super easy to for people to reflash their EX/EXLs to Si power figures?

seems killing the single motor really means killing the CR-Z...some think that in light of that Honda may offer a three door Civic hatch as well

 

[RobbJK88]

seems killing the single motor really means killing the CR-Z...some think that in light of that Honda may offer a three door Civic hatch as well

Doubtful, they don't even offer the 3 door in europe anymore. Instead the 5 door has a 3 door profile with the smaller rear doors and hidden handles.

Also, Honda's already said in terms of the next CRZ would probably drop the hybrid powertrain and do a detuned 2.0T from the Type R. And if they do offer a hybrid varient it'd be shared from the accord hybrid.

 

[Smartie]

Doubtful, they don't even offer the 3 door in europe anymore. Instead the 5 door has a 3 door profile with the smaller rear doors and hidden handles.

Also, Honda's already said in terms of the next CRZ would probably drop the hybrid powertrain and do a detuned 2.0T from the Type R. And if they do offer a hybrid varient it'd be shared from the accord hybrid.

Interesting, you have a source by chance? I'm not up to date on CRZ. If hybrid is shared with Accord I suppose we can assume the CRZ would be moving to the new Civic/Accord platform as the Insight is dead...

 

[kensic]

I personally don't think the "SI" will have a 1.5L turbo. just because "SI" is in the same segment as the Golf GTI, Subaru WRX (w/o the AWD), Ford RS. which all of them have a 2.0L turbo.

1.5L turbo can't competes with a 2.0L turbo in the long run. So I really hoping its the detuned Type R 2.0L turbo.

plus 1.5L turbo is in the segment of Nissan Juke, Ford Focus, and we know for sure the "SI" isn't in that segment, that's what the LX EX civics are for.

otherwise, I will not buy a 1.5L turbo SI, my money will go to the GTI. Please Honda!!! I want to give my money to you!!!

 

[RobbJK88]

Interesting, you have a source by chance? I'm not up to date on CRZ. If hybrid is shared with Accord I suppose we can assume the CRZ would be moving to the new Civic/Accord platform as the Insight is dead...

Ive seen it in interviews with honda execs multiple times online. I can't remember specifically where i read it now, its been a while, but the info kinda flew under the radar because of the civic reveal.

From what insiders and interviews have said, the CRZ would be moving to the larger Civic platform, but would be shrunk in size by 6 inches in length. A detuned 2.0T would be the primary powertrain, while a two motor accord based hybrid system would be optional. They claimed in what i've read that the CRZ with the turbo would push around 270 horses, while the hybrid would probably get around 180-190 horses. Again, i'm not sure how much of that is actually set in stone or if that's what honda is just looking into doing, but according to various sources i've seen, the CRZ is getting a huge overhaul to be the 2 seat sportster it was meant to be.

 

[5TAR]

It's about time they're on track to positioning the CRZ to be like that, how it should have been from the start but of course it wasn't right timing back in those days to bring all of this together.

 

[CanGuy]

I'll be interested to see the next CR-Z, but I still think it will be a niche vehicle. I'm just not sure how Honda thinks they are going to sell a lot of them. They must have high margins for it to be worth Honda selling them.

 

[RobbJK88]

I'll be interested to see the next CR-Z, but I still think it will be a niche vehicle. I'm just not sure how Honda thinks they are going to sell a lot of them. They must have high margins for it to be worth Honda selling them.

The CRZ also was a niche vehicle. Not all cars are built as volume sellers. Yes, the markup is usually higher on said vehicles to recoup cost. But they help market a brand as a company that sells interesting and exciting products that don't always adhere to the mainstream (which is what honda is trying to get back now with all their sporty car development).

Most car companies have these odd niche vehicles. They know they appeal to very small demographic. But they play their part in a fleet lineup to give a company character and style for the rest of the lineup. Its an odd business model, but it can be effective with the right product.

 

[Smartie]

The CRZ also was a niche vehicle. Not all cars are built as volume sellers. Yes, the markup is usually higher on said vehicles to recoup cost. But they help market a brand as a company that sells interesting and exciting products that don't always adhere to the mainstream (which is what honda is trying to get back now with all their sporty car development).

Most car companies have these odd niche vehicles. They know they appeal to very small demographic. But they play their part in a fleet lineup to give a company character and style for the rest of the lineup. Its an odd business model, but it can be effective with the right product.

The thing about the CRZ is it was the right car for the wrong time. It can be argues that Honda was one of the first to try and position Hybrid as sporty. In 2010 mention Hybrid and most people go YUUUCCCKKK. But now we have Porsche 918's, LaFerraris, NSX's and the last 2 Le Mans winners using Hybrid tech.

Honda was smart to try and glean a few more percentage points margin wise by taking the boring Insight and trying to use e-torque as a sporty feature. Like i said in 2010 it was never going to fly, but I hope they don't give up hope because e-power is the next performance war.

from e-charging to e-AWD... electric everything is the place to be currently...

 

[5TAR]

Fortunately Honda is big enough of a company to absorb the slow moving sales of the CRZ while it waits for its time to blast which could be coming soon!