The manufacture of the new Civic model had been delayed by more  a month following the impact of flooding in Thailand.  The operation was also affected earlier in the year by parts shortages caused by the earthquake in Japan.

Honda Motor Europe President Manabu Nishimae speaking at the ceremony to welcome the production of the new Civic to Swindon said Honda remained totally committed to building cars and engines in Europe with Swindon at the heart of Honda’s European manufacturing activities.

Announcing 500 new jobs, Honda UK Manufacturing (HUM) Director, Andy Piatek said that Car Plant 2 would return to a two shift operation in the late Spring of next year creating a need for the new jobs,  in addition to the current 3,000 employees. Recruitment will start immediately through HUM’s dedicated website www.hondamanufacturingcareers.co.uk.

During his speech to Honda Associates, Honda Motor Europe President Mr Nishimae acknowledged the workforces’ resilience: "The last three years have been extremely difficult for all of Honda’s European operations. We have faced many challenges beginning with the economic downturn through to the two natural disasters in Japan and Thailand. Throughout this period Associates have remained committed and I am extremely proud of how they have responded to these challenges. We will build upon our new found strength and remain confident of our ability to achieve and succeed in the future."

Commenting on Honda’s announcement, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "This is great news and a tremendous boost to the workforce, the car industry and UK manufacturing. Honda is contributing to a real renaissance in the UK automotive industry, we have a highly skilled workforce and we continue to be at the forefront of new technology and development. Its success is of great importance to our economy and we are committed to do all that we can to see this vital industry grow and thrive."

Adding to the new Civic to production of the Jazz supermini, next year will also see the mass production launch of the new European CR-V along with the production introduction of a small diesel engine also to be produced at Swindon. Production volume of cars for 2012 is forecast to double to 180,000 units.

Customers attending one of the previews taking place at dealerships around the country will be able to learning about the landmarks and milestones in Honda’s history, accompanied by the music and news events from the 60′s to the noughties. Guests will even be taken back in time with sweets and treats from a bygone age.

Then they’ll be brought back up to date with the presentation of the new 2012 Civic by one of Honda’s product experts. The walk-round presentation will take place three times through the evening, with doors opening for three hours from 5pm.

Guests will also be able to enter a national competition to win the ‘Journey of their Dreams’, where the winner will have a bespoke holiday planned, designed and arranged specifically for them.
The customer preview events commence on 10 November and run until 15 December, visiting each of Honda’s UK car showrooms for one night only on the journey.

Customers are advised to contact their nearest Honda dealership as soon as possible in order to find out what date the preview event is visiting and to secure their place in one of the three evening sessions (5-6pm, 6-7pm or 7-8pm). Spaces will be limited to see the new 2012 Civic for the first and only time ahead of its showroom launch in early 2012.
Visit www.honda.co.uk/cars/findashowroom to find your local Honda dealer and www.honda.co.uk/newcivic/assets/downloads/dealerevents.pdf to see the list of dates. More information on the new 2012 Civic can be found here www.honda.co.uk/newcivic.

The deadline for this great prize is looming however, with entries closing at 8pm on Monday October 31st, 2011. Entry is free, all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning this prize worth £18,000 is get a motor or motorcycle insurance quote from Carole Nash and you’ll automatically be entered.

The competition is being run to promote the insurer’s unique Six Wheel policy. The Six Wheel policy allows you to insure a bike and car on the same policy and guarantees to save you at least £50 on your premium.

The draw has already attracted tens of thousands of entries as bikers and drivers are enticed by the six wheeled combo. The naked sporty middleweight CBF 600N is already a firm favourite with UK bikers, the refreshed model for 2011 having been restyled with a sleek, aerodynamic friendly integrated headlight and instrument panel and a higher, thinner tail which improves the rear.

The Honda Jazz is also a sure-fire winner favourite with drivers having won its class in the JD Power Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction every year since its 2004 launch.  A zippy little five door it nonetheless offers a surprisingly spacious interior, its compact design giving it a tidy turning circle and ensuring practicality in and around town.

For full prize draw details details visit www.carolenash.com or call 0800 804 7952 for a quote. The prize package comprises a Honda CBF 600N and a Honda Jazz 1.2 I-Vtec S 5 door and is non-transferable for sale or re-sale, or redeemable for cash. For full terms and conditions visit http://www.carolenash.com/bike-and-car-giveaway-terms-and-conditions/

Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month, order books are now open with cars arriving in UK Honda dealerships during January. The latest version of the popular model

Standard equipment new to the Civic includes; Honda’s Intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) 5-inch dashboard screen which displays relevant driving details such as mpg, the idle stop status and climate and audio settings. Other new additions include a rear wiper, daytime running lights and a headlight-off timer that maintains illumination for 15 seconds after the car is locked.

Fuel saving technology

In addition, every new Civic comes with Idle Stop fuel-saving technology (manual transmission only) and an ECON switch for the first time. The ECON switch is already found in the Insight and Jazz Hybrid and activating it tells the car’s management system to adopt specific settings to improve fuel consumption. It does so without affecting overall safety levels or the general usability of the car.

Trim and kit

The new Civic comes with a generous level of kit, with even the entry level SE trim offering 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic air-conditioning and USB connectivity for compatible MP3 audio devices. However, for an extra £1,500 – making the price from £17,995 OTR – they can have the same spec but benefit from the extra performance of a 1.8-litre 142PS i-VTEC petrol engine. For diesel fans, the Honda Civic SE is available with a refined, powerful 2.2-litre 150PS i-DTEC engine and costs from £20,095 OTR.

Further up the range, the ES specification, priced from £18,995 OTR when paired with the 1.8-litre petrol or from £21,095 OTR for the diesel, features all the equipment found in SE plus cruise control with a speed limiter, rear view parking camera, keyfob-operated windows and door mirror folding, plus auto up/down electric rear windows.

The EX adds  leather upholstery with heated front seats and a HDD satellite navigation and premium audio system as standard. It costs from £21,745 OTR with the 1.8-litre petrol engine and from £23,845 OTR for the 2.2-litre diesel.

The flagship of the all-new Honda Civic range is EX GT, priced from £24,495 and £26,595 for the petrol and diesel respectively. New to the Honda Civic range are smart (keyless) entry/ignition, front and rear parking sensors, bi-xenon HID headlights and lumbar support.  Also included on EX GT is all the equipment found in the EX plus a panoramic glass roof, 17-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, auto-dimming rear view mirror and sunglasses holder.

For the first time Honda’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) are available in the Civic range. This advanced technology is available as a package in EX GT specification only for an extra £1,900 OTR. 

Using Honda’s anechoic (echo-free) chamber in its R&D facility in Swindon, the car maker has fine-tuned the cabin insulation, improving the construction of the roof lining to change how it interacts with the bodywork. Additionally  aerodynamic improvements have also proven an important part of improving the refinement of the vehicle. Using Formula One experience, the  coefficiency and stability at high speeds have been improved. Hours of work in the Honda wind tunnel has improved performance, reduced fuel consumption and resulted in a quieter interior.

"We did not improve the noise and refinement of the new Civic through just one technique," commented Kazuo Sunaoshi, Development Leader – Chassis. "It was the accumulation of lots

of little details. My big challenge was to match the noise and vibration levels of our European competitors. I am proud to say that we have achieved our goals."

Honda Civic new and nearly new car deals 

Honda Civic road test reports 

Honda Civic car leasing deals 

The latest model will be the ninth generation of the Civic when it goes on sale in early 2012. First launched in 1972, the Civic has sold over 20 million models globally since that time.

The new Civic will make an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The firm’s plant in Swindon will begin production of the ninth generation later this year before sales start in 2012. Later, a new CR-V model will start production too, at the facility, with sales to start in the autumn of 2012. Despite the recent supplies interruption caused by the earthquake in the firm’s home country, Honda has managed to keep to its production timescale for the new models. 3,000 Honda associates are now preparing for the arrival of the Civic, which has been especially designed for and tested on European roads.

“Our Associates are all really excited to be producing the next generation of Civic here at Swindon,” says Mark Trowbridge, Director of Quality and New Model at HUM: “The next six months will be busy, as we ramp up to full production following the training and trial builds of the new car.

Honda car leasing deals 

Honda new and nearly new car deals 

Honda road test reports 

“The fact that we will be the only Honda plant in the world producing this hatchback version of the new Civic, makes us extremely proud of the highly skilled and dedicated team we have working here in Swindon,” Mark continued. 

The new hatchback model has been  designed exclusively for Europe and extensively tested on its roads to ensure its compatibility  with the continent’s roads.

According to Honda, its engineers have concentrated a huge amount of time and effort to improving ride quality and handling of the Civic and made significant changes to suspension to enhance body control and comfort.

To give customers the biggest cabin and boot space in the C-sector, the Civic retains a rear torsion beam suspension system – but the latest set-up uses clever fluid-filled compliance bushes to improve overall ride performance and handling. It has also been strengthened to give better stability, particularly at high speeds.

Honda Civic car leasing deals 

Honda Civic news and nearly new car deals

Honda Civic road test reports 

The first of five films on the development of the new Civic features Honda engineers discussing the improvements made to ride and handling. The video can be viewed at www.honda.co.uk/newcivic

Over 20 million Civics have been sold globally since the model was first launched in 1972.

Analysing the data from 50,000 live policies with the warranty firm on cars aged between three and eight years of age, far eastern brands also showed they were typically cheaper to fix too.

Honda tops the standings in the annual car reliability study for an unprecedented sixth year in a row, recording an impressive 9 per cent failure rate within a twelve months. All of the top 10 manufacturers come from either Japan or Korea.

The combined What Car? and Warranty Direct study also names British marque Land Rover as the least reliable brand, with 55 per cent of its upmarket vehicles suffering faults in a 12-month period. Alfa Romeo (46%), Renault (45%) and Saab (43%) – all European brands – are the next most breakdown-prone manufacturers.  

The top two European brands are Skoda and Smart in 11^th and 12^th respectively. Only they prevent an even stronger showing for Far Eastern manufacturers, by nudging ahead of Daewoo.

Most reliable brands

Honda (9%)

Toyota (14%)

Suzuki (15%)

Lexus (15%)

Mitsubishi (15%)

Mazda (16%)

Subaru (17%)

Hyundai (20%)

Kia (21%)

Nissan (22%)

Cheapest to repair

Fiat (£241.63 average repair cost)

Renault (£242.22)

Ford (£253.92)

Suzuki (£255.12)

Peugeot (£257.33)

Warranty Direct compiles the data for its www.reliabilityindex.com website, which rates cars according to its ‘Reliability Index’ formula, taking into account repair costs, age, mileage and rate of failure; the What Car? and Warranty Direct annual study surveys manufacturers according to the number of faults in a 12-month period alone.

What Car? editor, Chas Hallett, said: “This year’s study is a stark reminder of the disparity in reliability between far Eastern brands, which dominate the top 10, and European brands, which contribute the bulk of the bottom 10.”

The new model is designed to have a more aggressive stance and a deeper sculpted body with a bolder front fascia. The lower front bumper wraps smartly upward to convey SUV capability, while the overall lower front bumper design now integrates more smoothly into the fascia for improved aerodynamics.

The CR-V’s vertical taillights remain for the next model with a more three-dimensional style that wraps further into the design of the vehicle. Equipped with more efficient engines compared to the current model, the new CR-V is expected to deliver improved fuel economy. The CR-V is one of the top-selling SUVs, sold in more than 160 countries throughout Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Africa.

Honda CR-V new and nearly new car deals

Honda CR-V road test reports

Honda CR-V car leasing deals

The new CR-V Concept will be on first public display at the Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, California, in September 2011.

This mini-documentary is the second in a series of films which explore and celebrate real-life people who use their Honda cars, ATVs, lawn mowers, generators, marine engines and motorbikes in unusual and extraordinary ways. The first film aired on 26 May 2011, which featured Philippa, the alpaca farmer, zipping around on her Honda ATV  to tend to her 100-strong herd. The new film follows Ben and his crew as they set off from Brixham harbour at sunset and head out 30 or 40 miles into the English Channel to fish above wrecks where the biggest shoals of fish are found. It premieres on Wednesday 20 July, supporting the documentary ’24 Hours in A&E’ on Channel 4.

Viewers will be introduced to Ben and Goldfish in the bumpers which sit between the documentary and the advert breaks, while the full two minute version of the film will be available to view on www.honda.co.uk/stories.

In addition to the full length film, visitors to the website will find Ben’s own Bass Fish Finger recipe alongside his top fishing tips and a video showing how to set up a rod. Plus, fans and followers of Honda (UK)’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/hondacarsuk and @honda_uk Twitter feed will have the opportunity to submit their best fish recipe to be in with a chance of winning a fantastic fish related prize.

Honda new and nearly new car deals 

Honda road test reports 

Honda car leasing deals 

Honda search for Channel 4 documentary stars continues. The car maker is seeking anything usual, whether British customers use a Honda car, motorbike, ATV or generator. It could be using a Honda generator to power sheep scanners or transforming a Civic into an ice cream van. Whatever the story, if it’s unexpected and just a little bit daft, Honda wants to hear it. The persons judged as using their Honda in the most extraordinary way will have their story turned into a film online and broadcast on Channel 4 and More 4 as part of Honda’s documentary sponsorship.  Budding stars can tell their story and enter the competition online at www.honda.co.uk/stories where a regular gallery of entries will be posted to inspire other entrants. The competition is open now and closes at the end of September 2011.