This October 2020, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) is celebrating its 30th anniversary in the country. With the Civic being its first offering back in 1990, it’s also the model’s pearl jubilee year.
On Filipino roads since 1990
There’s no doubt that Honda’s history in the Philippines is inextricably tied to the Civic. As the first model that HCPI sold in the country, the Honda Civic has been one of the best-selling and most recognizable nameplates since the 1990’s. The Civic has had a palpable cultural impact on the Philippine automotive scene, serving as beloved family car, aspirational sporty car, and in some cases, even a family heirloom.
This is due to its innovative and ever-changing design and features, its sporty characteristics, and fair price. To date, HCPI recorded a total of 131,067 Honda Civic units sold since its introduction in 1990.
Generations of success
When Honda first entered the Philippine market, the Civic served as an ambassador for a brand that was hardly known at the time. Filipino’s first taste of the Civic was in the form of the fourth generation (EF) model. Though already a three-year old model at the time, offering the Civic taught Honda valuable lessons in the semi-knock down kit assembly and marketing of a vehicle in post-recession Philippines.
It was soon followed up with the fifth generation (EG) model. With this shapely new model, Honda capitalized on its starkly different looks, sexy curvy design, and grille-less front façade. Both hatchback and sedan variants were made here, from the entry-level hatchback to the range-topping ESI sedan. Like its predecessor, it was assembled in the Philippines, taking advantage of the government’s Car Development Program. Offered in 1992, it was one of the first vehicles to come with fuel injection and an automatic transmission. Its high performance and rapid pace soon earned it a reputation of being a sporty offering. Not surprisingly the model soon became a favorite among tuners, thanks to the wide availability of performance parts and the ease with which more power could be extracted from the vehicle.
Honda followed it up with one of its best-selling and still highly sought-after Civics, the sixth generation (EK), fondly called SIR by many after its powerful top-of-the-line model. This model introduced Filipinos to VTEC (Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control) and how much potential a 1.6-liter engine had.
The success of the locally-assembled EG and EK Civics paved the way for the Civic name’s continued success in the Philippine market. Civic would continue to be assembled at the Santa Rosa Laguna plant until 2011 with the eighth generation (FD).
Of course, no story about the Civic would be complete without mention of the Civic Type R. The legendary performance model is more than just a souped up Civic. Since it was first introduced to the world, the Civic Type R showed just how much potential lay hidden in the humble Civic. With the right tuning and performance parts, it could be a veritable sports car, even without the conventional front engine, rear wheel drive layout or fastback styling, capable of smashing records in race tracks around the world.
For years, Filipinos had pleaded with Honda to offer the very special Civic locally. That wish was finally granted with the 10th generation in 2017.
There couldn’t be a better Type R to introduce to Filipinos. The fifth generation is the first Type R to use a turbo, integrate an electronic rev matching system, as well as offer multiple drive modes. Before its launch in the Philippines, it had also smashed the world record for fastest front-wheel drive lap time of the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.
While Honda Philippines was only able to secure 100 units in its first year, all of them were quickly snapped up within a matter of days, despite costing three times that of a regular Civic. The phenomenal market response prompted Honda to order another batch the next year, which was also sold out in a matter of days. With the Type R, Honda has certainly proved that its association with high performance has never diminished.
In celebration of HCPI’s 30th anniversary, HCPI is offering the Honda Civic Type R with a PhP180,000 cash discount bringing down its suggested retail price toPhP3,000,000.
A commitment to quality
But more than its sporty design, powerful engine, innovative features, and cultural impact, the Honda Civic has long embodied Honda’s commitment to produce vehicles of premium quality. And through the many redesigns, facelifts, and new technologies introduced through each generation -- from the fourth generation Honda Civic (the first sold in the Philippines) all the way to the modern 10th generation —this commitment to engineering excellence, elegance, and quality has faithfully and consistently been upheld.
To know more about the New Civic and the Civic Type R and the latest Honda news and promos, visit Honda Cars Philippines, Inc.'s official website.