By George Guimarães | Translated by Jorge Meditsch
Honda seems to be given up the historic dispute against Toyota since both brands began to offer their automobiles in Brazil. Last year, the competitor sold almost three times more and got a 9% share among passenger cars, while Honda did not go over 3.6%.
Toyota’s great strength in Brazil is the Corolla, which sold 42.9 thousand units, 30% of the brand’s automobile sales and 75% of medium sedans sold in the country in 2022. Honda’s representative in the category, the Civic stopped to be manufactured in Brazil at the end of 2021 and sold only two thousand units last year.
Nonetheless, the model returns to the dealerships this week, now in its 11th generation and imported from Thailand. The only version, hybrid-driven and without optional items, costs R$ 244.9 thousand. Produced in Brazil, the Corolla has six versions costing from R$ 147 thousand to R$ 190 thousand. The most expansive version is also hybrid.
Despite technical and performance aspects, the over 20% price difference to the competitor’s more sophisticated version shows that Honda does not want the Civic to compete against the Corolla – which happened over three decades -but to position it one level above, among premium brands’ models.
It is a bet, but it will be difficult for the customer to accept this distinction after so many years of direct duel: even with the 2023 Civic being larger and completely different than the last generation produced here and with superior technology, its design is more conservative again, as Corolla’s buyers use to like.
The new sedan highlight is the e:HEV powertrain with two electric motors – one to drive the car, with 184 cv, and the other acting as a generator to charge the ion-lithium batteries – and a 2-liter combustion engine to be used only occasionally, in high-efficiency situations. According to the manufacturer, the consumption is 18.3 km/l in the city and 15.9 km/l on the highway.
Passive driver and passenger safety are strengthened by the Honda Sensing package offered in the medium sedan for the first time, with improvements in the adaptative cruise control and lane assist. Comfort and connectivity are granted by the myHonda Connect system.
With an 8-year or 160 thousand kilometer warranty for the powertrain and batteries, the e:HEV Civic is the first brand’s novelty in Brazil for 2023, but it will not be the only one. Until the end of the year, Honda intends to offer in the country three more models: the ZR-V medium SUV, the Hybrid CR-V and the sporty Type R Civic – which will have as competitor the also unprecedented GR Corolla, announced by Toyota.
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