Honda Drops the Bomb at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show

Every major car manufacturer had a big story to tell at the recently concluded 39th Tokyo Motor Show. Japanese juggernaut Toyota harked on its technological developments; resurgent Nissan flexed its motorsports muscle; and Mitsubishi reassured the public of its continued R&D growth amidst its struggles in its homeland. None of the major Japanese players made more relevant ripples, however, than Honda, which used the motor show to introduce the much-awaited 8th generation Civic to the Asia-Oceana markets.

The Civic needs no introduction to the Filipino car buff. It is Honda’s best selling model, as the 16 million units produced since 1972 prove. And ever since the 4th generation Civic was introduced in the Philippines as a "people’s car" in the early-90s, it’s garnered Filipino fans by the legion. Also, despite surrendering its best selling compact sedan tag to the steady Toyota Corolla Altis over the past few years, loyalists still argue that the Civic has set the standard in many ways as far as the compact sedan is concerned. The Civic’s sporty driving performance has become its trademark — and people have learned to use the car as a benchmark for its competitors in this respect.

All this is not lost on the management of Honda. In fact, Satoshi Toshida, senior managing director and chief operating officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.’s Asia-Oceana Region, argues that the new Honda Civic was built on the high standards set by its predecessors. "The 8th generation Civic features substantive improvements in all the key measures of an automobile’s value, including a sportier driving performance combined with improved fuel economy, strengthened environmental friendliness and enhanced packaging," he says.

Toshida isn’t exactly exaggerating. As a member of the Filipino contingent sent by Honda Cars Philippines to Tokyo to cover the launch at Honda’s 2005 Journalists’ Meeting, this writer can personally attest to the Civic’s improved performance levels. In various test tracks at the Honda R&D Tochigi grounds, the Civic proved its mettle.

Though it doesn’t have the raw power of the now-legendary 6th generation SiR, for example, the 8th generation’s 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine showed enough spunk to deliver immediate throttle response. Improved insulation, meanwhile, has reduced noise levels to almost non-existent levels. In many ways, it is reminiscent of the very impressive Accord, its bigger brother. Also, as the rains were pouring throughout our track day, it became evident that the 8th generation Civic’s engineers had paid close attention to the car’s on-road stability. Meanwhile, Honda claims that the 8th generation’s improved i-VTEC engine can deliver greater energy efficiency through a Drive By Wire system that can delay intake valve closure timing under low-load driving conditions. According to Toshida, these improvements make the 8th generation Civic, "a 1.8-liter sedan that can approximate the efficiency of a 1.5-liter model." Of course we didn’t have the time to substantiate those claims while in Japan, but we’ll give our hosts the benefit of the doubt for now.

One thing’s for sure, this is one Civic that’ll shake up the aesthetic expectations of car aficionados. With a windshield that’s virtually pushed forward, a single-motion profile (as shown in the car’s side view photo) is achieved. There has thus never been a Civic that combines such a sleek yet sporty design in one package (at least in this writer’s opinion). This gung-ho approach to design invades the cockpit as more space is accorded to the driver and his front row passenger. As a result, a multi-tier instrument display panel greets the driver. A digital speedometer is the highlight of the upper tier while the tachometer and other support information are featured prominently in the lower tier. Space-age human-machine interface never looked this good.

The big question now, really, is not how good a car the new Civic is (it practically blew us away in Tokyo) as much as how soon it is scheduled to arrive on Philippine shores. While our sources at Honda Cars Philippines are keeping their cards close to their chests, this much we know — the car will be here within the first half of next year. Frankly, if car fans can wait a full year in waiting lists for surprising new SUVs and exciting new models from come-backing manufacturers, we don’t see why they won’t anxiously await the arrival of a proven performer like the Honda Civic.