The British-built Honda Civic, the one sold in Europe, has still not made its mark in the sector, due to quirky styling and for the majority of its early life, the lack of a small-capacity diesel engine. The latter has now been addressed, and the unit Honda has developed is reportedly quite good – we hope to get our hands on one of these just so to have a more accurate and impartial view of the situation.

Still, there was one more thing missing from their Civic range in the Old Continent – an estate / wagon variant, which is a body style with deep significance for prospective buyers.

Go to any European country, and some of the most common cars you’ll see are small estates (like the Civic Tourer) powered by diesel engines displacing under two liters. Now, after revealing the Tourer concept, their intention was clear, as was the fact that it wasn’t going to change that much in its transition from concept to production. Moreover, it seems that they are a bit concerned about the car’s image, as the video we’ve posted below reveals…

Let me explain… The promo clip seems to come in and quench fears some prospective buyers may have had with the car’s suitability for the European market – a problem they think they have with the five-door hatch they currently sell…or rather don’t sell.

It just seems like a desperate attempt to ensure sales go smoothly, once it hits showrooms in early 2014. Every single manufacturer tests their cars in very cold climates, and when you buy one of these new cars, you expect them to be… What difference does it make if the people testing the car were European or Japanese (one of the key points of the promo clip).

I think this is a case of another big automaker who can no longer micro-manage all of its affairs under its own philosophy, and the solutions they choose to make their products, and their unique qualities known are very shallow, and almost laughable. Why don’t they just stick to calling it a Honda Civic estate, with a new small-capacity diesel and minimal styling changes over the positively received concept? Just feels like they are very insecure about a car which promises a lot, and I find that quite odd…

By Andrei Nedelea

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