Honda confirms timeline for new Civic and HR-V

Honda Australia has confirmed it is on track to bring the 11th generation Honda Civic Hatch to Australia before 2021 is up, while the new Honda HR-V will follow it in 2022.

Speaking to Wheels, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said he was looking forward to the arrival of the two new models as the first to be introduced after the company changed its local sales network to a retail-based fixed price model.

With semi-conductor shortages and the business transformation, as well as lockdowns all having the potential to impact arrival of the new Civic Hatch, Collins says the brand is still on track for a final quarter arrival.

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“The first half of the year we were very badly hit by semi-conductor shortages, but are now finding the availability improving – although we’re not quite out of the woods yet,” he told Wheels, later adding that Australia will be drawing more of its units from Japan in future, both for supply and specification.

When the 2022 Civic arrives, its local range will be focused more on medium-high specification cars, Honda not wanting to chase large sales in its bid to position itself as a more ‘premium’ brand.

So too will the 2022 Honda HR-V, which Collins says is on track to launch within the first half of 2022.

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As well as moving upmarket in terms of trim and features on Australian cars, Honda will also offer hybrid versions of each new car arriving in Australia.

A Honda e:HEV version of both the Civic and HR-V are expected to be available at, or close to, the launch of each car.

Mr Collins said he expects the HR-V in particular to remain a popular choice for the model’s “loyal customer base”.

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The two models, as well as the CR-V, will form the main bulk of Honda’s sales going forward, which Collins expects to grow to around 20,000 units a year after sales dropped off in the wake of the business model change.

Up to July 2021 it has shifted 11,593 units, down 38.1 per cent compared to a COVID-ravaged 2020 when it sold 18,728 to July.