Honda Civic's American Cousin Wins Motor Trend 2006 Car Of The Year Award

The all-new Honda Civic earned Motor Trend magazine’s prestigious 2006 Car of the Year award, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. The award extends to the entire Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe line-up including the environmentally responsible Civic Hybrid and high-performance Civic Si models.

The Motor Trend editorial staff selected the Honda Civic from a field of 28 new or substantially revised models - the largest to date - recognising it for exceptional value, superiority in its class and the most significant development on the new-car scene for 2006. Testing took place over a two-week period that included thousands of miles of on-track driving and on-street evaluation, along with several days of walk-around appraisals.

"For 2006, the Civic underwent the most radical transformation in its 33-year history," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda. "It is a cornerstone of the Honda line-up, and we’re delighted that Motor Trend has recognised the new levels of styling, performance, technology, safety and value that characterise the new Civic. Customers have validated our direction too, as evidenced by strong sales of the new model."

The 2006 Honda Civic establishes new segment standards for safety, technology and performance. Clean and efficient i-VTEC engine technologies deliver more power than ever before while still achieving an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 40 miles per gallon. In keeping with Honda’s ‘Safety for Everyone’ initiative, the Honda Civic features advanced standard safety equipment including side curtain airbags, front side airbags and the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure, regardless of price or trim level.

The most noticeable features of the 2006 Civic include its expressive exterior styling, a high-tech and spacious interior, and fun-to-drive performance. The Civic further rewards drivers and passengers with as many as seven ways to enjoy audio entertainment including XM Satellite Radio, MP3 and WMA support and an accessory Apple iPod adapter that connects the popular music player to the Civic’s audio controls.

The Civic Hybrid provides the ultimate in clean and efficient technology with a 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine and a new generation of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology that helps the hybrid achieve an estimated city/highway fuel economy of 49/51 miles per gallon and an Advanced-Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating. Additionally, the Civic Hybrid can deactivate all four of its cylinders and operate using only the electric motor in certain low-speed cruising situations.

The Civic Si showcases the high-performance potential of the Civic platform and offers a 197-horsepower, DOHC 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine connected to a 6-speed manual transmission and a limited slip differential.

The majority of Civics are produced and assembled using domestic and globally sourced parts in the United States and Canada. Civic Coupe and Civic Si models are solely produced and assembled at the Honda of Canada Manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ontario. Civic Sedan models are primarily produced and assembled at the Honda of America Manufacturing plant in East Liberty, Ohio. Civic Sedans are also produced and assembled at Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston, Ontario.

Some Civic Sedans and all Civic Hybrid models are produced and assembled in the Honda Motor Co., Ltd, Suzuka, Japan, manufacturing facility.

A list of previous Honda winners in Motor Trend polling includes:

• 1994 Honda Accord Import Car of the Year
• 1988 Honda CRX Si Import Car of the Year
• 1984 Honda Civic CRX Import Car of the Year
• 1980 Honda Civic Import Car of the Year

The new Civic 5 door hatchback, built exclusively for Europe in Honda's Swindon factory goes on sale from January 2006. Prices range from £12685-£18100.