Honda Civic sedan going back to Japan after seven years

It may sound surreal that Japanese carmaker, Honda, is going to reintroduce its globally renowned Civic sedan, in its home country after an interlude of seven years. Back in 2010, Honda ceased the production of the Civic sedan and turned its focus on the minivans and ‘kei’ cars in the Japanese market.

The Civic sedan, on the other hand, established itself as Honda's best-selling model in the United States, the Japanese manufacturer’s biggest market. It even went on to bag the North American Car of the Year award last year. But now, due to shifting trends towards SUVs and pick-ups in America and dwindling sedan sales there, Honda intends to cater the Civic's demand in international markets. It also wants to leave behind its image as a maker of only minivans and compact cars in the domestic market.

The 2016 Honda Civic will be launched this summer in Japan with production to commence in Honda’s Saitama facility in Japan and its likely to be exported to USA as well, easing up production pressure there. Honda hasn’t disclosed as to when the Japanese production will start but we could see the JDM-spec Civic at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.

Though Honda has introduced the new-generation Accord in India, we don’t expect the Civic to be brought to our shores anytime soon.