Honda Atlas has just launched the all-new 11th generation Civic sedan in Pakistan. The vehicle has arrived here within a year of making its global debut.
Related: The History of Honda Civic
The 11th gen Honda Civic equipped with a 1.5L turbocharged engine is available in three variants priced at PKR 50.99 lac for base, PKR 53.99 lac for Oriel and PKR 61.49 lac for the flagship RS version.
11th gen Honda Civic in Pakistan
This is the seventh generation of Civic in Pakistan to be assembled locally as Honda Atlas that was incorporated back in November 1992 saw their first local assembled model, the 5th gen Civic rolling off the assembly line in May 1994. Although looking at the chronicle of events, Honda usually introduce new models in Pakistan during the first half of the year, however this is only the second time that a Civic model has been launched in the month of March. Last time this happened was 21 years ago, when the 7th gen Civic sedan was launched in March 2001.
Having replaced the 6th generation facelift which is considered as the most eye-catching car of that time, the 7th gen slowly grew its place among local consumers. Apart from major styling differences, the suspension was also changed from a double wishbone to MacPherson struts, in order to lower costs.
Related: 6th Gen Honda City- Yet Another Globally Retired Car Arrives in Pakistan
Two engines were available including the 1.5L Efi and 1.6L VTi. 7th generation was also the first Civic to carry Honda’s Prosmatec transmission in addition to the standard 5-speed manual gearbox. In 2002/03, Honda introduced some improvements in the pre-facelift 7th generation Civic such as the optitron meter cluster, beige interior and LED tail lamps.
Then in 2004, the 7th gen Civic facelift was launched and it changed the personality of the car altogether. The facelift was again regarded as one of the best looking Civics to be available. Often regarded as “eagle-eye” the 7th gen facelift was widely appreciated by consumers although there wasn’t any significant change at the rear-end of the car.
Related: The Good & the Bad Launch
The 7th gen Civic was a huge commercial success for Honda in Pakistan and gave some really tough time to its rival Toyota Corolla. The sales of Civic saw a deplorable decline when the 7th gen Civic was replaced with 8th generation model in 2006, which not only was bigger and more expensive, but also saw the end of 1.5L and 1.6L engines in favor of lone 1.8L unit. The 7th gen Civic saw sales of 12,352 units in FY2004-05 and 11,998 units in FY2005-06 but witnessed just 6,513 units in FY2006-07 in presence of the 8th gen model.
Coming back to the 11th gen, this one too is the most expensive local assembled Honda Civic to date. Although the list of features & equipment in the flagship variant is rich, we will have to see if the new Civic is able to lure buyers into opting for a sedan in presence of quality crossovers & SUVs in the same price bracket.
Related: Honda and Facelifts- Then & Now
For the interest of our readers, below is the timeline of new Civic generations & their facelift launch in Pakistan over the course of time.
- May 1994: 5th generation Civic launched
- January 1996: 6th generation Civic launched
- January 1999: 6th gen facelift/ Oriel launched
- March 2001: 7th gen Civic launched
- May 2004: 7th gen Civic facelift launched
- July 2006: 8th gen Civic launched
- September 2012: 9th gen Civic launched
- July 2016: 10th gen Civic launched
- April 2019: 10th gen Civic facelift/ Turbo RS launched
- March 2022: 11th gen Civic launched
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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