The launch party for the 2016 Honda Civic was just as cool as the song that goes “… I am contagious, I am breaking down …”
On Wednesday Honda displayed its 10th-generation Civic at YouTube Space LA and they livestreamed it so it could be seen around the world. People with tattoos and knit caps were cheering on a band which we were stood near to and who were playing a song that was familiar, but I couldn’t think of the name (apparently it was Night Riots). Honda is certainly thrilled about this new Civic.
This probably just sound like another cynical marketing attempt to get the attention from people of my age group. The type of people that studies suggest detest driving and aren’t bothered about vehicles, as far as old people and their muscle cars are concerned. Audi brought out an entire guide last year on how to sell the A3 to Millennials. We certainly are a fan of these goal-oriented campaigns.
To be fair, the 2016 Civic has a lot to live up for. The Civic long had a following among fresh, young consumers wanting to purchase their first vehicle, who then continued purchasing them as they adored them so much. That changed a bit with the ninth-generation Civic, a vehicle so different front its ancestry when it comes to appearance, the way it feels and generally everything about it. It’s just like the Honda Civic became when your Aunt Hattie swapped her ’93 Achieva with it.
The sales figures show it all. Honda’s vehicle with most of it’s buyers below the age of 35 in 2014 was the Accord. The HR-V and CR-V SUVs also make up more of what consumers are looking for these days, along with their rough appearance and available all-wheel drive. It’s not all about the Civic these days.
When you look beyond the hecticness of the band and the fog of the reveal, the 2016 Civic already appears to have the things that youthful new-car purchasers are looking for when they are searching for cars. It promises good fuel economy, has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, is styled like a show-car and comes with plenty of features.
The first of the new Civics Honda displayed comes with refinement, technology, and content more than the fun-to-drive characteristics. Car fans might not be overly satisfied that you can only get Honda’s new 1.5-liter turbo on models equipped with a CVT, due to the six-speed manual now really having been consigned to the base LX. You were most likely waiting for the forthcoming Si, or the hatchback model from next year, or most likely the new Type-R. The Civic Sedan aims at the mainstream market and this time round that is people under the age of 35.
There’s no doubt that the marketing for the 2016 Civic will be on at an agonizing full force at Millennials. With this vehicle though, Honda have done everything they can to get the attention of the younger crowd. Civic’s future as a vehicle chosen by young people once they have their first proper paid job relies on it.
All that’s left now is to get Contagious to stop playing repeatedly in my head.
