Spreading The Love For The Civic
Cars can inspire many a thing in people. From being loathed by those who see them as environment killers or loved by those who admire them simply for being a car and a work of engineering greatness, and that's not even considering the owners. Car own
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Cars can inspire many a thing in people. From being loathed by those who see them as environment killers or loved by those who admire them simply for being a car and a work of engineering greatness, and that's not even considering the owners. Car owners can view their cars in many ways ranging from a mere means of getting from A to B to those who flat out love their car.
Of the sheer thousands of car models that have hit the roads and rolled of production plants around the world, the Honda Civic is one of those cars that has inspired pure devotion from its owners since it first started racking up the miles back in 1973. That's right, 1973. The lifespan of the Civic name is second only to that of Toyota's Corolla which arrived in 1969.
Honda's little compact seems to have been inspiring owner dedication since its inception with owners groups dedicated to every generation of Honda's compact little motor sitting proudly on the internet. When it was launched the Civic picked up "Car of the Year" awards in Japan for two years running and ranked third in the European Car of the Year awards and even scored well in American magazine polls - no small feat given the American preoccupation with beefy V8 monsters at the time.
Yet the Civic owner dedication goes beyond plain appreciation. Amongst the enthusiast community, it's a popular platform for modification and customization that goes further than some plush floor mats. The ease with which parts can be interchanged and lower-powered cars can be equipped with newer and more powerful engines has meant they've become popular choices as tuner projects.
Realising this and seeing a potential new market, the styling of the Honda Civic took a dramatic turn when the eighth generation arrived. The mainstream look of the previous models had vanished and along came something more aggressively styled than most cars on the road. Well, in Europe at least - America didn't get such an aggressive looking motor though the cars shared the same mechanics.
Honda are pushing the Civic range further, trying to spread the love across as many car buyers as possible. Along with variants on door numbers there's the eco-friendly Honda Civic Hybrid attempting to steal the green votes while the Type R beefs the styling up further and pitches itself at the power-hungry hot-hatch enthusiast.
With a few face-lifts planned for the 2009 model, Honda seem determined to continue spreading the love of their compact across as wide a range as possible. With the auto market facing a sharp decline, brand loyalty and dedication may be the saving grace that keeps the Civic continuing on into further generations.
About the Author
Tony is an online marketer and researcher. He is currently researching the Honda Civic and Honda
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