Another Re-Design for 2013?

Now this is just my personal opinion but I would hate to see Honda put forced induction into the Civics. The Civics have kept their popularity and stood up against competition very well for having a naturally aspirated engine. Leave the modding to the owners when they buy the car. Makes it more fun and makes you more proud of what you drive. Let me tell you, buying a car that's fast enough to get you into trouble off the showroom floor is BORING. People need to remember that the Civic (including the Si) caters to all sorts of people young and old, speed oriented and handling oriented. I myself would hate the extra expensive part to worry about if something goes wrong. I like to keep my cars long term and issues are gonna happen no matter what car you drive so a turbo should be left for the buyer to add on their own. Even if Honda added a turbo or supercharger, it wouldn't be pushing a huge amount of PSI and wouldn't be making the car push 500+ hp like a lot of people expect (not saying that's anyone here but I've heard it plenty of times elsewhere) so seems like a waste in my eyes. In short, "Don't fix what ain't broken"
 
another report -

Honda Weighs Civic Revisions After Consumer Reports’ Criticism


Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co. said it’s studying modifications to its Civic small car after a revamped version of the model fared poorly in a review by Consumer Reports, failing to win the magazine’s coveted “Recommended” status.

The 2012 Civic’s score in testing by the magazine fell to 61 points from 78 for the previous model. The latest version of Tokyo-based Honda’s best-selling compact declined in agility and interior quality, had a choppier ride, longer stopping distances, and more road noise compared with the previous generation, Consumer Reports said in August.

“One of Honda’s strengths has always been the ability to quickly react and recover fast,” John Mendel, the carmaker’s U.S. executive vice president, said in an interview in Carlsbad, California yesterday. “That’s what you’re going to see us do. I think you’ll see us take appropriate actions,” he said, without elaborating.

Honda models since the 1980s have consistently ranked among the most frequently recommended by the magazine published by Yonkers, New York-based Consumers Union, a non-profit group. Carmakers seek favorable evaluations from the magazine as its reviews are considered the most objective because of policies of not accepting advertising and buying every vehicle it tests.

Sales of Civic this year haven’t met Honda’s target, owing to limited inventory due to reduced parts supply after Japan’s record earthquake. Sales of the car, built at Honda plants in Ontario and Indiana, dropped 16 percent this year through September to 167,384.

North American Civic production began recovering in September, and Honda this month added a second manufacturing shift at its Greensburg, Indiana plant to boost supplies of the car.
Improved supply of all Honda models should lift its overall U.S. sales in October compared with a year ago, the first such increase since April, Mendel said. Deliveries of new Honda and Acura vehicles are down 5.8 percent this year through September.
 
I doubt it, Ken. A Civic generation has never lasted only one model year. Hopefully this just means HOA will be implementing higher quality parts in their manufacturing process.
 
I see this only changing the quality of the parts used. Not so much of a "makeover" that would warrant a new generation
 
Quality of parts and a possible slight redesign of the sedan will come from this, along with better driving dynamics. Hopefully it will also get bigger rims and Bluetooth can trickle down to the LX. For anyone that thinks Honda would let CR diss them all while having Chevy, Hyundai//Kia and Ford come up with good compacts and just sit around, you are sadly mistaken. Honda ain't playing.
 
Ford rushes to fix gearbox problems, but not quickly enough for Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports recently cited issues with the PowerShift dual-clutch transmission in the Ford Focus andFord Fiesta as one of the primary reasons behind the automaker's fall from grace in its annual Car Reliability Study, but according to The New York Times, the automaker has already worked to solve most of the problems with the gearboxes. Ford has issued a number of technical service bulletins designed to improve drivability at low speeds. On September 13, Ford sent its dealers a bulletin describing how to reprogram the powertrain control module for "smoother acceleration, reduced hesitation, better low-speed drivability and improved shift scheduling."

In addition, a separate bulletin sent out on September 2 specifically dealt with harsh gear changes in the Fiesta. Like its larger sibling, dealers were instructed to reprogram the transmission for better performance. Still, those fixes come too late for Ford in the Consumer Reports' report. We'll have to wait until next year to see if the changes improve the Blue Oval's ranking.
 
“We take feedback seriously, regardless of who it’s from, and we will act accordingly quickly,” John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president told Automotive News. “I don’t know how much we can do, and how quickly, but the comments of Consumer Reports and our customers have not gone unnoticed. We are appropriately energized.”

===
"Honda is moving more quickly than planned on some mid-cycle changes.
"We take feedback seriously, regardless of who it's from, and we will act accordingly quickly," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, said in an interview.
The mid-cycle update normally would occur in spring 2014. But Mendel said the change could occur sometime in 2013."
 
So when do you think we would see these changes leak on the web or come out? mid summer of 2012?
 
no clue when we'll see it, but those latest quotes make it sound like it's just a refresh coming earlier than normal.... not an entirely new car design.
 
We Hear: Honda Pushes Early Mid-Cycle Refresh for 2012 Civic


Call it either a commitment to quality or an acknowledgement of a mistake: Honda has reportedly fast-tracked a mid-cycle refresh of the 2012 Honda Civic coupe and sedan after the current model was criticized for trailing several key competitors.​

The Honda Civic received a much-hyped refresh for the 2012 model year, but was largely panned in the automotive press. The car tumbled off of the top of the Consumer Reports list of recommended small cars for the first time in ages after the publication’s editors called it “insubstantial.” Wall Street Journal automotive writer and Car Show host Dan Neil called it a “massive fail.”

Most complaints about the Civic are hinged on the hard plastics within its interior, which early reviews from Automobile Magazine staffers called “average at best,” although it should also be said that much of its other content also lags behind the newly minted competitors from Ford, Hyundai, Mazda, and Chevrolet. The Civic has one fewer gear than most of its competitors, and has only one non-hybrid model — the HF — that achieves 40 mpg on the highway, despite producing less power than the Mazda 3i Touring, the Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra. Early reviews for Motor Trend called it a “superior effort,” but criticized it for blandness, saying that unlike its predecessor, “we cannot give it a standing ovation.”

Normally, Honda’s mid-cycle refreshes occur after the product is nearly two or three years old, but an exception may be made for the Civic. Automotive News reports that Honda will significantly expedite that timetable. As a result, a refreshed Civic should hit Honda showrooms sometime in 2013, earlier than the original date of spring 2014.

If this all sounds like instituting a no-huddle offense late in the third quarter, it may well be, but American Honda President John Mendel told Automotive News his company is prepared to go the distance. “The comments…have not gone unnoticed,” he said. “We are appropriately energized.”
​
 
jasonandre said:
Queue collective moans from early adopters.
Click to expand...
Idk about the others who bought an 9th this year but I'm kinda excited about the refresh. I'll have one of the few made of the "original" design. Makes my car even more special to me. Maybe I'm just looking at the glass half full :hmmm?:
 
siracergrl said:
Idk about the others who bought an 9th this year but I'm kinda excited about the refresh. I'll have one of the few made of the "original" design. Makes my car even more special to me. Maybe I'm just looking at the glass half full :hmmm?:
Click to expand...

Sure, I feel like that about my Mazda too ;) It was one of the earliest built of a brand new design... and so had all sorts of little problems which they "fixed" in later years. And yet all that somehow endreared it to me even more, and makes it feel "special," original somehow.

The sad irony though is that while I wouldn't have been too bothered buying the 2012 (I'm a prospective shopper) and then finding out about the early refresh, it's kinda hard now to buy a 2012 knowing the refresh is coming so soon. Assuming of course the refresh is even an improvement. Be careful what you wish for and all that ;)
 
I personally never had a huge gripe with the 9th gen. Honestly compared to my 8th, it's an improvement.
 
Like I said before, if you bought a 9th gen new there had to be something about it you liked then and something about it you'll still like when this refreshed one comes out. That one will just be a rare one. Plus when you look objectively at the new Civic, it is an improvement over the 8th from noise, smoothness, fuel economy, weight loss, etc. I'm just glad Honda is listening. I sent them a list of stuff that should be added to all of their cars. Maybe they might use some of my suggestions? Push button start and Xenons for the Civic? Be nice if they did :)
 
Unless this means that I can return my car and get a better one from Honda.. thats some f'ed up stuff.
We'll see what happens, I'm happy with my purchase.
 
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