Refreshed Honda Civic now in Thailand, is PH next?

We’ve been writing a bit about the refreshed Honda Civic. The first was when it was revealed for the North American market, and more recently when they released the performance Si version. Of course, we were wondering when it’ll arrive on our shores and it’s surely getting closer.

The Japanese automaker has just launched the updated version of the eleventh generation of the iconic nameplate in Thailand which makes us very excited. Keep reading to see what you can expect from the Philippine version.

Like what we saw on the North American version, the Thai-spec refreshed Honda Civic gets similar changes. First is a new angular front bumper with larger upper and lower front grille designs which also get a honeycomb mesh pattern. Fog lights have been removed and the taillight lenses get a darker shade.

Depending on the variant, you can get halogen projector headlights or full LED headlights. Lower variants get the same 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels as before. Meanwhile, the top-spec RS gets new 18-inch matte black alloy wheels, gloss black exterior accents, and a tailgate lip spoiler.

Exterior colors remain the same with options of Ignite Red Metallic, Meteoroid Gray Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, and Platinum White Pearl. A new color—Canyon River Blue Metallic has been added to the option list

Not much has changed on the inside. There is however an updated user interface for the 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system which also now features Google Built-In in addition to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Lower variants also now get leather seats while the RS remains with leather and suede with red stitching and red accents around the A/C vents.

Other stuff that are now standard are rear A/C vents, new USB-C charging ports, Active Noise Cancellation (for e:HEV variants), 8-speaker audio system (12-speaker Bose premium audio system on the RS), and wireless phone charger. 

Powering the refreshed Honda Civic in Thailand are two powertrain options. The first is the familiar 1.5-liter Inline 4-cylinder VTEC Turbo that makes 178 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque, mated to a CVT. 

The second option is Honda’s e:HEV full hybrid system composed of a 2.0-liter Inline 4-cylinder Atkinson Cycle engine paired to dual electric motors and a lithium-ion battery. This makes 184 horsepower and 315 Nm of torque, mated to an E-CVT. 

The Honda SENSING suite of advanced driver-assist systems also remains as standard on all variants.

With Honda Cars Philippines sourcing local units from Thailand, it shouldn’t take that long for the refreshed Honda Civic to arrive in our market. HCPI has already sent out invites for a September 18, 2024 event. Could it be the refreshed Civic’s launch? It just might.