Honda Integra set to return this year - except it'll just be another Civic
Sanjay · Jan 29, 2021 05:30 PM
Yes, you read that right - the Honda Integra name is making a comeback in 2021! Except not in the way you last remembered it to be: it'll be the name of the China-market all-new 2021 Honda Civic.
The DC5 Integra was the last in a long line. The Integra nameplate was discontinued in 2006.
With China's huge car market, it's common for manufacturers to have multiple joint ventures (JVs) there. In Honda's case, they have two partners - Guangqi (GAC) Honda and Dongfeng Honda - each selling the same models with slight differences under different names.
The 11th-gen Civic prototype.
This means that GAC-Honda is very likely to market the 11th-gen Civic as the Integra, which points to Dongfeng Honda selling it as just the Civic.
This document outlines the details of GAC-Honda's investment.
Chinese media sources have revealed that GAC-Honda are actively revamping their factory, fitting it with new laser welding equipment to prepare for the next-gen Civic's assembly.
To recap, this isn't a new arrangement as Honda's Chinese operations have done this before. The Honda Accord as sold as is by GAC-Honda, while Dongfeng Honda sells it as the Honda Inspire.
The Corolla aren't the only twins there.
It's the same with other manufacturers too. Toyota for instance sells the Corolla in two guises: FAW- Toyota sells it as the Toyota Corolla, while GAC-Toyota uses the legendary Toyota Levin name.
What about the all-new Civic?
Details of the next-gen Civic are still scarce, but from the prototype's debut last November, we learnt that it'll be built on an 'even sporter, fun-to-drive new chassis.'
Along with that, it's touted to benefit from a host of active and passive safety updates, including an improved version of Honda's Advanced Compability Engineering (ACE) body structure, redesigned airbags, and uprated Honda Sensing suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Closer to our region, the 2021 Civic has been spotted actively testing on Thailand roads, but Malaysians will have to wait a while more before it turns up here.
With humble beginnings collecting diecast models and spending hours virtually tuning dream cars on the computer, his love of cars has delightfully transformed into a career. Sanjay enjoys how the same passion for cars transcends boundaries and brings people together.
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