How the Civic became Canada's top-selling vehicle

BRIAN EARLY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Thirty-five years after its debut in 1973, Honda's Civic has become Canada's top-selling vehicle in 2008.

John LeBlanc

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

When the final sales numbers are tallied up at the end of this year, the compact Honda Civic will have knocked the venerable Ford F-150 from its perch as Canada's best-selling new vehicle – a title the full-size pickup has held for the past five years.

Except for one month, the Civic has been the number one selling vehicle in Canada since December. In the first nine months of 2008, 61,712 Civics were sold, compared to 54,700 F-150s.

The surge in fuel prices, the slowing economy and the public's concern with the environment have all played a role in determining why large vehicles like the F-150 have lost ground to smaller new cars in Canada; they're up almost 10 per cent in a stagnant market.

Although it's an accomplishment of near-biblical proportions – and symbolic of the recent shift to small cars from larger vehicles like minivans, SUVs and pickups – the success of Honda's David toppling Ford's Goliath has not been a battle won overnight.

In fact, the Civic has ruled the passenger car roost for the last eight years; during that time it has surpassed the 60,000 units-per-year mark each year, a number no other single car model has managed to even come close to.

But why has the Civic been a consistent favourite over other compact car rivals for more than 30 years? The second-longest continuously running automotive nameplate from Japan, longevity and brand awareness is one of Civic's strengths – only arch rival Toyota Corolla, introduced in 1968, has been in production longer.

Rival Mazda, for example, has called its compact models various names since the early 1970s: 1200, Mizer, Great Little Car or GLC, 323 and today's Mazda3.

Like a lot of import auto makers, Honda follows a disciplined product cycle: Every eight years, there's a totally redesigned Civic. Every four, it gets a substantial redesign inside and out. Every two, there's an external styling and features update.

Between 1982 and 2005, Honda launched four all-new generations of Civic. In comparison, Chevrolet produced the same J-platform Cavalier in those years.

"Honda really sticks to its knitting," said Denis DesRosiers, the Canadian automotive analyst who's tracked the industry since the late 1970s.

When Honda introduced the first Civic in 1973, some observers called it a "Japanese Austin Mini" with good reason.

Only slightly larger than the iconic U.K. subcompact, Civic first came as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback. A small four-cylinder gas engine transversely mounted powered the front-wheels – just as you'll find in today's lineup of sedans and coupes.

Mechanically, that's the only commonality between the first Civic 35 years ago, and its current eighth generation.

Compared to today's base model Civic Coupe, the original's engine had less than two-thirds the displacement (1.1 litre); 110 less horsepower (50 hp). The car itself was considerably smaller, with a wheelbase more than 450 mm shorter (2,200), an overall length 907 mm shorter (3,555) and a weight 634 kg lighter (680 kg) – less than today's Smart ForTwo.

Ironically, that relatively minuscule 1973 Civic got slightly worse fuel economy on the highway than today's much larger model: 5.88 L/100 km versus 5.7 L.

In the wake of the first oil crisis, North Americans looked for anything smaller and more fuel efficient, so the first Civic had plenty of import competition from Fiats, Dodge-badged Mitsubishis, Datsuns, Renaults and Toyotas – not to mention a new batch of not-so-small domestics like the Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega and AMC Gremlin.

According to DesRosiers, though, what really sent the rest of the industry scrambling (and set Civic on its path to being Canada's top selling car today) was the introduction in 1975 of Honda's CVCC engine.

The Civic's Controlled Vortex Combustion Chamber engine had a head design that promoted cleaner, more efficient combustion without the need for exhaust catalysts or conversion to sip unleaded fuel only – requirements that nearly every other new North American car required that year to meet new government emission rules.

Since the early 1900s, auto makers have complained that government regulations are too stringent. Especially in the 1960s when much stricter safety and smog regulations came into play. With CVCC, Honda basically said to government regulators, "Go ahead, bring it on."

"CVCC really shocked the automotive world," said DesRosiers.

CVCC is also considered by Honda to be the first stepping-stone in a long path that has led to the Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell.

Beyond introducing technical innovations to the mass market, the Civic has also been stretched, pulled and shaped to meet ever-changing car buyers' habits.

In 1975, a practical Civic wagon arrived, a conservative four-door sedan debuted six years later, then a sports car – the CR-X – in 1991.

Honda has also used the Civic platform for cars without a Civic badge.

In 1987, all-wheel-drive made its Civic debut in the wagon. Its mechanicals led eventually to the 1997 CR-V and the Element in 2003.

Upscale Acura Integras, and RS-Xs were Civic-based, as has been the Canadian-only Acura EL and current CSX.

Of course, not all Civics were home runs. Though the CR-X was embraced by enthusiasts, the Del Sol that replaced it in 1993 was never seen as more than a blobby Fiat

X 1/9 that didn't break down.

The conservatively redesigned seventh-generation Civic in 2001 had two strikes against it: the entry-level hatchback was dropped; and a comfort-oriented front suspension design replaced the previous sharper-handling setup.

When Honda tried to make amends by importing the U.K.-made Civic hatch the next year, it only came as a top-line Si model.

One reason for the Civic's consistent sales performance is that it fits into Canada's most popular class of car: the compact or C segment.

Another is its excellent overall ownership experience. Civic is at the top of this year's Consumers Reports reliability ratings, and consistently places at the top of other durability, and reliability ratings from such third parties as CAA and J.D. Power and Associates.

"Roomy, reliable, cheap to buy, run, and insure – it's such an easy car to buy for the consumer," said John Hamilton, who's been an auto broker for the past 10 years.

And rock-solid residual values also mean that when Civic owners sell, they get a lot of their money back.

According to VMR, Canada's used car database, a four-year-old Civic DX sedan (original price $16,100) retains around 58 per cent of its original value. A 2004 Ford Focus LX holds only 38 per cent of its original $16,475 price.

But many of the same attributes can be found in rival compacts. So why does Civic continue to lead the sales charts year in and year out?

Hamilton says that clients tell him, over the Corolla, the Civic has "edgier" styling and is perceived as a "young person's car." And compared to the Mazda3, the Honda is seen as being better built with better fuel economy.

Unless the construction industry comes back to jump start F-150 sales, said DesRosiers, it looks like the reign of Honda's overachieving David as Canada's most popular car will continue.

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