Honda's 10th-generation Civic sedan going on sale this autumn will be the first brand's model with a turbocharged engine offered on the U.S. market.
The turbo was originally slated to be introduced as part of a planned midmodel freshening in 2017 or 2018. But as development progressed, Honda concluded that the 2016 model, a wholesale reboot of the Civic lineup, needed to make a stronger statement at the outset.
With the new generation, Honda has made it clear it's looking for global domination of the compact segment, and has invested heavily in the car's development. Virtually every piece of the car is new. This includes the platform, interior and exterior styling, and a buffet of body styles (sedan, coupe, hatchback) and powertrain potencies (base, turbo, Si, Type R).
The automaker had been hearing from consumers that while they liked the efficiency of the outgoing Civic, they wanted more excitement from the car. Thus, the executive team got behind the idea, pulling resources off other projects to speed development of the Civic's 1.5-liter turbo and the 2.0-liter turbo in the current Civic Type R, which is not sold in the U.S. The deadline was met, and the turbocharged Civic rolls into dealerships in November.
