Do You Want Honda Cars Philippines to Bring in the Civic Hatchback?

Do you think Honda Cars Philippines should bring in the Civic hatchback? Apparently, the thought has crossed the company’s President and General Manager Noriyuki Takakura’s mind several times. Though nothing is set in stone yet, it’s not the first time he’s breached the possibility of bringing over the Civic Type R’s “warmer” sibling.

Unlike the Civic Type R, which is produced only in Swindon, U.K., sourcing the Civic hatchback is certainly more cost-effective given it’s produced alongside its sedan counterpart in Thailand for the Asia and Oceania markets.

In markets such as Indonesia and Thailand where the Civic hatchback is currently sold, it’s only available with a turbocharged 1.5-liter Earth Dreams engine. Making 173 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque mated to a CVT transmission, it should have enough grunt to satisfy the sporty set.

Spec-wise, the four- and five-door versions are roughly the same, though the latter does have the advantage of looking closer to the big daddy, the Civic Type R.

Dimensionally, the Civic hatchback is slightly shorter (4,501 millimeters) and heavier (1,316 kilograms) than the sedan (4,649 millimeters and 1,305 kilograms respectively), though it does gain 300 liters more cargo space (727 liters versus 427 liters).

“We have to balance what the Filipino enthusiast wants with a sustainable business case,” Takakura says. “And that’s why I always check if there’s a demand for the Civic hatchback here.”

Perhaps, the Civic hatchback’s acceptance all goes down to price. Looking at how it’s priced in Thailand for example, the five-door costs roughly 5 percent more. This means that theoretically, the Civic hatchback could be sold here for P 1.688 million—that’s pretty much CR-V territory. Do you think that’s too much to ask?