Car Moon

We are a long way from the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and many things may change in the meantime, but for now, the word from the team over at Insideline is that Hyundai will head to California this fall to unveil a new coupe version of its freshly launched Elantra model. The two-door model will offer Hyundai a direct rival to the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe in the U.S. market. Read more »

A peek through the European patent office files revealed images of Honda’s freshly launched in North America, 2012 Civic in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe guise. Given that the European market will get its own, bespoke version of the Civic, chances are that Honda simply wanted to cover its back like most of the competition just in case another automaker (we are looking towards you China) got any crazy ideas.

However, it is possible that Honda will offer the four-door saloon model in certain European countries to compete against the Volkswagen Jetta. With the exception of one version of the Civic sedan seen in this set of images and which features slightly modified taillights with additional strips that extend towards the license plate holder, there are no other differences compared to the North American Civic.

Following a recent announcement from Toyota predicting an increase in North American production this summer after the problems created by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Honda today said that its North American factories would return to near-normal production for all vehicles except the new 2012 Civic by this August. Read more »

As car owners, most of us have had bad experiences with auto service stations, either official or independent. Of course, carmakers don't like competition from independent units, so here's what Honda of Malaysia thinks of these stations. In a commercial for the local market, Honda mocks an independent garage called “HONDI” which, as you may have already assumed, offers bad service for big bucks.

A beautiful young woman, owner of a Honda Civic, is shown taking her car to the Hondi service center, where all sorts of strange things happen, with the personnel doing a crappy job while singing their own version of the famous “YMCA” song. If only service stations were such a blast... Follow the jump to watch the ad.

How many times have you come across a slow driver that refuses to let go of the fast lane? Probably more times that you can remember. In this video we see one of those drivers in a Honda Civic, the difference being that the person behind him / her is a state trooper.

Of course, when there’s a cop on your tail, you’ll slow down, but common sense says you should also move over and let him pass as soon as you find a chance to change lanes, something that this driver didn’t do. On the other hand, we see the double standards at play here with the police officer dangerously tailgating the Civic. But at least the video has a funny ending with the trooper forcing the Honda driver into the right lane. Watch the clip after the jump.

The wraps only just came off the all-new but not-so-new looking 2012 Honda Civic at this week’s 2011 New York Auto Show, yet the Japanese automaker has already launched an advertising campaign for its popular compact model. The fully integrated national campaign is called “To Each Their Own” and it’s the creative work of Honda’s long-standing agency, RPA.

The campaign touts the idea that consumers are all different and there's a unique Civic for each of one of them, bringing attention to the variety of different Civic models. The ads feature five distinct characters, with each one of them representing a different model.

The stars are: Jack the urban woodsman who shows off the Civic Hybrid; Mitch the zombie salesman who’s into high-tech gadgets and drives a Civic Sedan; Teeny the monster college student in the fuel-efficient HF model; Aiko the young Ninja girl paired up with the Civic Si and finally, Cesar, the Champion Luchador who drives a Civic Coupe.

The ninth-generation Honda Civic made its world premiere in New York today. The new Civic’s highlights are a mildly revised style and a fuel-efficient lineup, made up of the following models: the conventional gasoline-powered Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, the high-performance Civic Si Coupe and Sedan, the Civic Hybrid, the Civic Natural Gas and the Civic HF (an all-new high fuel economy model).

For 2012, Honda announces higher fuel economy ratings, up by as much as 8 percent on the highway in the Civic Sedan and Coupe models equipped with automatic transmissions.

The base model Civic DX Coupe has an MSRP starting price of $15,605 (€10,750), which is unchanged from the outgoing model. The base Civic Sedan and Coupe models are powered by a 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine that delivers 140 horsepower and 128 lb-ft (173.5 Nm) of torque.

We know many of you will find it hard to believe at a first look, but this here is the completely new, North American market, 2012 Honda Civic. Even though it may seem otherwise, the 9th generation Civic has been designed from the ground up and shares very few parts -if any- with its predecessor, well that is, aside from its styling personality which has gone from bland to blander...

Not surprisingly, Honda managed to remove all the styling elements that made the Detroit Motor Show Civic concepts somewhat worth a second look from the production models.

The design similarities with the 8th generation Civic are not only visible on the outside but continue inside as wells with the dashboard styling and the near identical layout.

A new limited edition version of the Civic hatchback inspired by its BTCC-sibling has been added to Honda's car lineup in Britain. The new Civic Ti is based on the five-door 1.4-liter and 1.8-liter i-VTEC SE gasoline variants and according to Honda, it comes with £3,700 worth of extra equipment over and above the standard model.

The strong yen is affecting all Japanese automakers that are exporting their locally produced cars to America. Honda is one of them, as of the 72,000 CR-Vs built last year in Japan, 35,000 made their way to North America. Japan’s third largest automaker wants to invest in its North American plants to increase the number of CR-V it builds here and reduce exports from Japan, thus minimizing losses due to exchange rates.

Earlier this month, Honda unveiled the Civic Si Concept coupe and Civic Concept sedan at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, signaling that the ninth generation 2012 Civic will follow soon, to be precise, this spring. However, the official press bits weren’t exactly what you’d call detailed, leaving lots of aspects, including the engine lineup, to our imagination.

Today, the Honda-obsessed team at the Temple of VTEC forums claim to have solved part of this mystery thanks some inside sources that told them a 2.4-liter gasoline engine, very similar to the Acura TSX’s powerplant, will make its way into the new Civic Si.

The Civic Sedan and Civic Si Coupe concepts are the stars of Honda's Detroit Auto Show stand. The two concept models are essentially pre-production studies of the actual ninth-generation Civic that will be introduced to the North American market this Spring. Bear in mind that the Detroit show Civics do not preview the upcoming three- and five-door hatchback models for the European market.

On the outside, Honda's designers opted for a more evolutionary styling rather than a radical step in design, blending the current model's shape with styling details from some of the firm's latest models such as the CR-Z hybrid and the North American Accord.

The two concept models do not appear to feature an interior or a powertrain. However, Honda said that the 2012 Civic range will continue to include a sporty "Si" performance version, as well as hybrid and natural-gas variants. If you follow the jump, you can check out our live gallery of photos and HD videos of the two cars from the Detroit Show.

Honda debuted the Civic Si Concept coupe and Civic Concept sedan at the North American International Auto Show today, providing the first official glimpse at the all-new, ninth-generation 2012 Civic, which is set to go on sale in the USA this spring.

"The Civic is known for providing a balance of 'just-right' packaging, fun-to-drive character and outstanding fuel economy, at a price that even first-time buyers can afford," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda. "The redesigned Civic builds on this legacy and promises to be the best Civic yet."

Honda has launched a new series of special edition models in Germany to celebrated the company's 50th anniversary in Europe. The first Honda store in Germany opened in 1961 in the city of Hamburg. The lineup of special edition models includes the CR-Z hybrid sport hatch, the Civic, the CR-V, the Accord and the Jazz, all of which feature additional standard equipment such as larger alloy wheels and upgraded audio systems (depending on the model) without a price increase. More details on the 50th Anniversary specials can be found on Honda's German website.

The Honda fan-boys over at the Temple of VTEC claim to have intercepted an internal memo with details on the firm's upcoming models, which was sent out today to dealers. The email reportedly states that Honda will be releasing a lower-priced based version of the Accord CrossTour equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, with sales to start in "mid-summer". We'll remind you that that CrossTour is currently offered exclusively with a 275HP 3.5-liter V6 and available four-wheel drive.

As far as hooning goes, one would think that a simple burnout should get you in the least amount of trouble. However, the owner of this Honda Civic almost lost his car while dazzling the crowd [...], as after about 40 seconds the tires suddenly burst into flames.

So, what have we learned today? Well, first of all, avoid overdoing the burnout if your car is tied to a block of concrete. Also, always keep a fire extinguisher at hand, because it turns out that putting out flames with some refreshments isn’t very effective. Who would of thought it? Watch the video after the jump.

What you see pictured above is an official rendering of the Honda Civic Concept, which will be revealed in the flesh at the upcoming 2011 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January 2011. According to the Japanese automaker, the concept is more of a pre-production study that will preview the actual, ninth-generation 2012 Civic, which will go on-sale in North America in spring next year.

The illustration depicts a coupe model with possible styling influences from the European market Civic hatchback (front) and the North American Accord Coupe (profile). Honda did not release any specific details on the car, but we suspect that we'll learn more within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

According to media reports, Honda's Civic will cease Japanese sales as soon as the current inventory is gone. This decision is said to be the result of increased demand for minivans and smaller cars, but that doesn't mean the Civic is going anywhere for you and me. Honda will continue to sell the entry-level compact, which is set to be replaced next year, in international markets where demand is still strong.

Honda has introduced a new model year version of its British-built Civic Type R Euro in Japan. The 2011MY batch will be the last of this model series to make its way to Japan as production of the current generation three-door Civic Type R has been terminated in Europe because its 2.0-litre VTEC engine does not meet the Euro V emissions regulations.

What is claimed to be the new 2012 Honda Civic Sedan was caught almost naked with very few body parts masked, hot weather testing in the Dubai by Car Magazine Middle East. Having eliminated the possibility that this may be a local version of the Fit/Jazz-based City small sedan, the next step is to see if this is a brand new edition of the Civic saloon or a facelifted model.