All-New Honda Civic Launch Date Pushed Back To 2011

The next-generation, all-new Honda Civic would not be arriving later this year, according to emerging reports, which put the introduction of the all-new Civic sometime in 2011. The Civic will be six years old by that time, upsetting Honda's targeted five-year model-cycle.

Speaking to Automotive News, American Honda Motor Company Executive Vice President John Mendel emphasized the need to be flexible and to cater for changing market conditions. “We change vehicles as need be. The ability to do something based on more current information is better than waiting a full model cycle”, Mendel said. “Some of that is being able to have the opportunity to change based on what you see happening in the marketplace”.

Honda had planned to make the all-new Civic larger and more expensive than the current Civic, but altered course late last year due to rising material prices and tightening fuel economy standards. What is new is not the change of development plans, but the confirmation of a 2011 launch date for the new Civic, although Mendel declined to specify a time period.

Other Honda models based on the Civic's platform are not likely to have their launch dates pushed back, however, according to Mendel. An all-new version of the Honda CR-V SUV, which was launched back in 2006, remains “on schedule” for introduction next year. By extension, it seems that the all-new Honda Stream should arrive on time in 2012, too.