auto car gallery: Honda civic 2012

Honda civic 2012

What's the matter with Honda, especially in Canada, and can the ninth-generation 2012 Honda Civic fix the problem or problems?

Consider: Last month Civic sales plunged 51 per cent compared to a year ago in January. Five rival compacts all out-sold the Civic: Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus.

The Civic may have finished 2010 as Canada's best-selling automobile for the 13th straight years, but Civic sales last year were down 8.2 per cent, to 57,505 from 62,645 in 2009.

Honda civic 2012

Overall, Honda brand sales were down 0.7 per cent, while sales at Honda's luxury brand, Acura, were up just 1.5 per cent. New vehicle sales in Canada last year were up about seven per cent, reports DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, which means Honda underperformed in the market and the Civic really stumbled.

Ever-sunny in disposition, Honda Canada Executive Vice-President Jerry Chenkin says the Civic actually did quite well last year, all things considered. Yes, Honda slapped on incentives to ensure another sales crown, but he also says Civic incentives were richer in 2009. Virtually all Civics are bought by real retail customers, not fleet buyers, he adds, throwing yet more positive spin on a poor performance.

Honda civic 2012

This week at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Honda's latest, best hope for resurgence is on display at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. So-called "concept" versions of the 2010 Civic sedan and Si coupe offer plenty of details about the new Civic lineup going on sale in April. Honda calls these concept cars, but the company has a rich history of showing concepts that are almost identical to the finished product.

Finished concepts or not, Honda does not want the 2012 Civic to follow in the footsteps of recent new Honda models such as the CR-Z and Insight, both duds.

Honda civic 2012

The CR-Z, a two-seat, gas-electric hybrid, somehow managed to raise the ire of Consumer Reports, long a fan of Hondas. CR said the CR-Z scored "too low for us to recommend." Among the car's many faults were a stiff ride, poor steering feel, poorly tuned stability control, and "lousy" visibility.

The Insight hybrid, said CR, has a cheap interior, mediocre fuel economy by hybrid standards and a noisy power train. Honda Canada sells barely any Insights at all. Honda has also been targeted with barbs about the Accord Crosstour and the slow-selling Acura ZDX crossover has been juiced with $12,000 in cash incentives.