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Vlad Manu
Contributing Journalist
28 Jun 2012
2 min read

Despite growing rumours of a Civic Type-R testing in Europe, Honda still maintains it doesn't exist.

Without a hero sports car for the brand the CEO Satoshi Matsuzawa maintains the brand's flagship is the hybrid Honda CR-Z. "It is our hero, and it should attract younger buyers," Matsuzawa says.

Granted, the CR-Z is an interesting car, but its acceleration is slower than a Corolla -- and perhaps that's not what most people would want in a hero. However Honda is adamant. So far.

Nor are there any plans to develop a three-door version of the Civic, so those wanting that look will still have to be content with the concealed door-handles of the new five-door version.

The good news was official confirmation that the first diesel engine in the local Honda line-up will arrive in the first half of 2013, joining the new Civic hatch models. The diesel should become the fuel hero in the Civic range, undercutting the 6.1L/100km posted by the new petrol manual Civic hatch VTi-S.

Honda didn't confirm the diesel engine's spec, but it is likely to be the 2.2-litre i-DTEC four-cylinder engine offered overseas, which should see official fuel consumption figures to drop below five litres per 100km. That diesel also gets stop-start technology, but currently only comes with a manual transmission, which will dampen buyer enthusiasm in Australia's increasingly auto-trending market.

Vlad Manu
Contributing Journalist
Vlad is obsessed with hot hatches, technology in any form, and car detailing at every opportunity. His keyboard gleams with carnauba wax, and he’s the only member of the editorial team who cleans his coffee cup with a random orbital polisher.
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