Mexican Media Brands
Creating the 2016 Honda Civic Coupe
As part of the lineup of the all-new 10th-generation Civics, there’s the Coupe.
#interior #electronics
Share
As part of the lineup of the all-new 10th-generation Civics, there’s the Coupe. Like the Sedan, the Coupe was largely designed, developed, and engineered in the U.S., and it is being produced in Honda’s assembly plant in Ontario, Canada.
John Hwang headed up the development team for the Coupe. And on this week’s edition of “Autoline After Hours” Hwang brings a Coupe to the studio to discuss the whys and hows of the Coupe.
One notable aspect of what Honda is doing here is that they are simply producing a coupe. If you take out the luxury models and muscle cars, then you are left with less than a handful of vehicle manufacturers that are still producing coupes. There is the Kia Forte Koup and the Scion tC, and the tC will end production this August.
Hwang points out that there are some 50,000 people who buy Civic Coupes each year, and that those buyers are the youngest coming into the Honda franchise. Consequently, it is important to provide those buyers with what they want, with hopes that they’ll stick with the brand when they need a couple more doors.
(The Civic Coupe is being launched with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Guess what demographic played a big role in that decision.)
Another aspect that is truly Hondaesque is that yes, they are offering two engines—a turbocharged 1.5-liter, DOHC direct injected engine and a 2.0-liter DOHC port-injected engine—but they’re also offering two transmissions: a CVT and a six-speed manual.
If coupe buyers are a fraction of sedan buyers, then manual transmission buyers are an even smaller fraction of that fraction.
Yet, Hwang explains, it is about providing those who are looking for the opportunity to really drive this sporty coupe (and know that it is sporty, having had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the car) with what they’re looking for.
Hwang credits the people in Honda manufacturing operations with providing them the ability to make cars with both configuration and powertrain variations.
Hwang talks with “Autoline’s” John McElroy, Henry Payne of The Detroit News and me.
Then the three of us take a look at some of the automotive commercials broadcast during Super Bowl 50, discuss NHTSA’s recent letter to Google that essentially acknowledges that the driver of a Level 4 autonomous car is an Artificial Intelligence, and the EPA’s allegedly nefarious regulation writing that seems to put the kibosh to DIY racing.
And you can see it all here:
RELATED CONTENT
-
When Automated Production Turning is the Low-Cost Option
For the right parts, or families of parts, an automated CNC turning cell is simply the least expensive way to produce high-quality parts. Here’s why.
-
Choosing the Right Fasteners for Automotive
PennEngineering makes hundreds of different fasteners for the automotive industry with standard and custom products as well as automated assembly solutions. Discover how they’re used and how to select the right one. (Sponsored Content)
-
Jeeps Modified for Moab
On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.
