Honda wasn’t expected to be launching a new 2016 Civic at the New York International Auto Show, and it didn’t. But it still unveiled a concept version of the upcoming Civic, and by all indications, it should be a sportier compact than what we are used to.
The 2016 Honda Civic, according to Honda U.S. EVP for sales John Mendel, will be offered in sedan, coupe, and hatchback form. And with younger consumers favoring other cars, including others in the compact class, the concept hints at Honda’s attempts to recapture this part of the market, following an uninspiring 2014 where Honda sold only 325,981 Civics in America, down 3 percent year-over-year.
“I don’t think we were as sporty in this last generation as we once were,” Mendel remarked, talking about Honda losing its grip on younger buyers. “I still think we have a strong focus on performance and dynamics across our lineup. But what the market is telling us is, particularly millennials and gen Y, is that they want dynamics. They want sporty.”
The Civic concept comes with more youthful, aggressive styling, as opposed to the outgoing Civic, which looks a bit too conservative for the Generation Y and Millennial demographic Mendel was referring to. Mendel added that the concept represents a “dramatic departure,” and an attempt on Honda’s part to “up the ante” in the compact class. And while details on the car’s technical specifications is limited, Mendel confirmed that the Civic will be powered by a VTEC turbo four once the 2016 model launches.