The ninth generation Honda Civic was launched in the North American market in April 2011.

Honda Civic Ninth generation (FB)
Overview
Manufacturer	Honda
Production	2011-present
Model years	2012-
Assembly	Suzuka, Mie, Japan Greensburg, Indiana, USA Alliston, Ontario, Canada Swindon, England, U.K.
Body and chassis
Class	Compact car
Body style	2-door coupe 4-door sedan 3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Related	Honda CR-V
Powertrain
Engine	1.8L i-VTEC SOHC I4 2.4L K24Z7 i-VTEC DOHC I4 1.5L i-VTEC SOHC I4
Transmission	5-speed automatic 5-speed manual 6-speed manual CVT
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,670 mm (105.1 in) (US sedan and hybrid) 2,620 mm (103.1 in) (US coupe)
Length	4,504 mm (177.3 in) (US sedan and hybrid) 4,472 mm (176.1 in) (US coupe)
Width	1,752 mm (69.0 in) (US sedan, coupe & hybrid)
Height	1,435 mm (56.5 in) (US sedan) 1,430 mm (56.3 in) (US hybrid) 1,397 mm (55.0 in) (US coupe)
Chronology
Predecessor	Honda Civic (eighth generation)

In May 2010, the ninth-generation Civic was said to be delayed into 2011, because of changing market conditions and tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations.^[1]

The Civic was originally planned to become bigger, but after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the global credit crisis in 2008, Honda wanted to make the car smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient, while increasing space inside.^[2]

On December 13 2010, Honda unveiled a sketch of the new ninth-generation Civic which was described as "energetic, sleek and aerodynamic." Both coupe and sedan concepts for the North American market were shown on January 10, 2011 at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. The production version of the ninth-generation Civic based on the revealed concepts will go on sale in spring 2011.^[3] Gasoline, hybrid and natural gas variants will be offered. The gasoline-engined lineup includes a sedan and coupe. Both of them will be also offered in Si performance versions.^[4]

The new model is believed to be slightly smaller and lighter than the outgoing models.^[5] Honda's Eco Assist technology will be added to most models, and will become the first gasoline-only powered Honda to employ such technology in North America. It is an information system to help the driver adopt a more fuel-efficient driving style^[4], and is proven to improve fuel economy by about 10% for Honda's hybrid vehicles in Japan.^[6]

Gasoline (DX, LX, EX, and EX-L), hybrid and natural gas variants will be offered. The gasoline-engined lineup includes a sedan, coupe and two Si performance versions which also can be configured into a coupe and sedan. Honda has also released the Civic HF, which stands for High Fuel Economy, and is based on the new Civic Sedan. It features a 1.8 Liter Inline Four-Cylinder engine and a 5-Speed Automatic transmission like the regular gas-powered models, but it has been tuned so that it returns 41 highway miles per gallon (MPG), however, it still has desirable features like an A/M-F/M stereo system with a single-disc CD/MP3 player, four speakers, the Intelligent Multi Informational Display (iMID), sixteen-inch alloy wheels with fuel-saving tires, a deluxe cloth interior, and keyless entry with a security alarm. The HF also features an Eco Mode button that reduces torque and allows for better mileage. It comes in two colors, Polished Metal Metallic or Taffeta White Clear Coat with a Gray interior. The Civic GX NGV (Natural Gas Vehicle) will be available in late 2011. All models (except for the base model DX), will come with the Intelligent Multi Informational Display (iMiD) that displays information about the car, such as current odometer mileage, current trip mileage, current time and date, current fuel economy readout, audio information (radio station, CD track info, radio data system info, climate info, and more, and will also allow you to upload two photos to the internal storage unit that can be displayed when the audio system is powered off. The DX (base) model will not feature a radio, yet will feature audio pre-wiring with four speakers, so the iMiD cannot display properly, therefore, it is not equipped with this option.

The entire lineup of the ninth generation of Honda Civic is more fuel efficient. It is reported that two versions of the Civic are expected to attain mileage of 41 mpg_‑US (5.7 L/100 km; 49 mpg_‑imp) or above in U.S. government testing.^[7]

A HF model, the most fuel-efficient gasoline-only powered Civic in the lineup, will get 41 mpg_‑US (5.7 L/100 km; 49 mpg_‑imp) under highway test cycle, compares with 36 mpg_‑US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg_‑imp) for previous generation, increasing the combined fuel economy rating to 33 mpg_‑US (7.1 L/100 km; 40 mpg_‑imp).^[8][9]

The Civic hybrid, with a larger 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine and a lithium-ion battery, is rated at 44 mpg_‑US (5.3 L/100 km; 53 mpg_‑imp) in combined city and highway EPA test cycle, an improvement of 3 mpg_‑US (3.6 mpg_‑imp) over the previous generation hybrid.^[9]

Both the Civic HF and Civic Hybrid models have improved aerodynamics and Honda ECO Assist technology.^[7]

Other gasoline-only powered Civic sedans and coupes are expected to get 39 mpg_‑US (6.0 L/100 km; 47 mpg_‑imp) in highway tests, an improvement of 3 mpg_‑US (78 L/100 km; 3.6 mpg_‑imp) over previous generation while 28 mpg_‑US (8.4 L/100 km; 34 mpg_‑imp) is expected for city driving. The Civic GX natural gas model will have a 7% improvement in fuel economy. The above models are also equipped with the Honda ECO Assist technology.^[7]

The Civic Si sedan and coupe models have a larger, more powerful 2.4-liter inline-four engine with 200 hp (149 kW) and 170 lb-ft (230 N·m) of torque, as well as a new 6-speed manual transmission. The Civic Si is expected to achieve an EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 31 mpg_‑US (7.6 L/100 km; 37 mpg_‑imp), an increase of 2 mpg_‑US (2.4 mpg_‑imp).^[7]

Many critics considered the ninth generation to be inferior to its predecessor. According to the Consumer Reports article: "2012 Honda Civic LX: Scores too low for Consumer Reports to recommend":

Stopping distances are long. The steering is lightly weighted and comes up short on feedback. Body lean appears early in the corners. The ride is marred by frequent short pitches. And road noise still remains an annoying companion.

Not all of the news is bad. Fuel economy is very impressive, despite the Civic’s seemingly low-tech powertrain. There’s decent rear seat room, too.

But that’s just not enough.

The Civic for European market is reported to unveil at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. It is expected to go on sale in the UK from about January 2012 and a newly designed small diesel engine will be added.^[10] In July 2010, Honda CEO Ito announced a new smaller diesel engine will be introduced in Europe in 2012.^[11]

As Honda's Research and Development Centre at Tochigi, Japan was damaged in the March 2011 earthquake, designers of the European Civic were transferred to the Swindon plant in the U.K., where all European Civic hatchbacks are built, to ensure the development is not delayed.^[12] The European Civic Hybrid will be available as hatchback instead of sedan, to match the availability of its regular model in Europe. ^[13]