Civic Sales Faultering, Import Auto Makers and the death of the hatch

I read that Honda is concerned about the failing sales of the new Civics, and I can't help but wonder, is it because they haven't produced a Civic hatchback since 2005?

Then I got to thinking, hardly any of the import automakers are producing a mid-size hatchback. Mazda being the exception. Toyota has ditched the Matrix and requires going up to a Prius. The Versa is pretty basic. Mitsubishi is nothing but crickets. Is the Accent in the same class as the Civic?

What is the advantage of owning a small 4-cylinder sedan over a larger 4-cylinder sedan that gets pretty much the same MPG with more space, and why are manufacturers seemingly killing off the hatch?

Ford make both the Focus and the Fiesta as a 4 door and hatch. In both cases the hatch is priced higher than the four door and you see far more hatches around. I just wish we'd bring over the 3 door Fiesta rather than just the 5 door hatch.

the Fit is the new civic. "What is the advantage of owning a small 4-cylinder sedan over a larger 4-cylinder sedan that gets pretty much the same MPG with more space, and why are manufacturers seemingly killing off the hatch?"

You nailed it. Accord cost basically the same.. Accord have same fuel mileage. No good hybrid option in Civic to combat Prius...........

The Imprezza can be had with a hatch as well. Like Adrian, I wish there were more two door hatches available.

vw golf and beetle. scion TC is a hatch, isn't it? Honda fit. Chevy Sonic. Subaru impreza/crosstrek. I think they are still popular but I think the size has come down to b-spec. Any bigger then it makes more sense for the automaker to be in the cute ute segment.

The thing is that B spec is every bit as big as compact was 10+ years ago. B spec also tends to be more upright which lends to better backseat space. Check out the fiesta vs focus. I swear with the drivers seat where I want it, the fiesta has more space in the rear. You are right with the CUV making more sense for most manufacturers. Here is Honda's new civic hatch.

Elantra GT and Kia Forte wagon (can you still get those?) I do not think I have ever seen either on the road though. Always see sedans.

In reply to PHeller:

Honda isn't what it used to be, they build things made from things at this point. That's about it

Honda turning the Civic from a reliable fun to drive small efficient car into a bloated vanilla pig has nothing to due with hatch design and popularity and everything to do with uninspired design by committee options, corporate "face" designs and design for profit margin opposed to design for function.

As noted B-Spec is where the hatch lives (and the Golf (which just won several car of the year awards), Focus and Mazda 3 are successful non-B-spec hatches).

Nobody can afford to make a "niche" car, so every manufacturer tries to offer their product in sizes S, M, and L. Diversity is a non-starter in the car business. And have you looked at the color palettes for exterior and interior colors lately? Let's just say your choices are limited.

Kudos to Mazda, and a select few other manufacturers who have managed to bring unique and desirable cars to the marketplace.

A know full well about the domestic offerings, which is funny. Honda surprised and dominated the North American market for years because of the affordable hatchback, and today it seems like Ford only sells F-150s and Foci.

The bigger Problem Honda has with the civic is the fact that it's overpriced and a real turd compared to it's competition. Mazda, Ford, the Korean Twins, Subaru are all making a better product at an affordable price.

I think the Consumer Reports thing from a few years ago did some damage also. Honestly, to me the current Civic would benefit from a massive makeover (or an all new design).

Also isn't there a Scion/Toyota hatch in the pipeline?

The Scion iM?

Yes, that's it. I guess I don't know for sure that they are going to sell it in the US though.

The civic has been killed by the fit being a great car for the money and the accord being almost the same price as the civic. Oh and they're making them just as bland as the Corolla now which doesn't help either.

This seems unusual to me, as I see the post-"CR facelift" Civics everywhere. I honestly can't decide why you guys hate them so bad. I feel like the civic is the well rounded center of the current batch of compact cars.

captdownshift wrote: Honda turning the Civic from a reliable fun to drive small efficient car into a bloated vanilla pig has nothing to due with hatch design and popularity and everything to do with uninspired design by committee options, corporate "face" designs and design for profit margin opposed to design for function.

Having driven basically every car in this segment recently, you've basically described every car in this segment.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: the Fit is the new civic.

^^^ This

The Civic has been around long enough to bloat into the size category that the accord used to be in the early 90s.

the 3rd gen civic of the 90s that most people think about when considering the older civics is 150" long with a 94" wheelbase.

The current civic is 177" with a 105" wheelbase.

and the 90's accord was 185" with a 106" wb.

It's faltering and the "hatch" is dying because all these cars are E36 M3 now. Meanwhile ford is selling Fiestas no problem.

All this has to do with is the Japanese car companies malaise. They don't make decent cars anymore, only somewhat reliable cars.

kanaric wrote: All this has to do with is the Japanese car companies malaise. They don't make decent cars anymore, only somewhat reliable cars.

THIS

madmallard wrote: the 3rd gen civic of the 90s that most people think about when considering the older civics is 150" long with a 94" wheelbase.

The 3rd generation civic was made from '83-87. Perhaps a better comparison would be the 6th generation from 96-99, which is 175" long with a 102" wheelbase.

MCarp22 wrote:

madmallard wrote: the 3rd gen civic of the 90s that most people think about when considering the older civics is 150" long with a 94" wheelbase.

The 3rd generation civic was made from '83-87. Perhaps a better comparison would be the 6th generation from 96-99, which is 175" long with a 102" wheelbase.

The 7th gen EP3 is 166" long, 101" wheelbase.

Interestingly enough, the Fit (until 2015) was still made in Japan while the civics have been made here in the US and Canada since the late 90's.

Even more ridiculous is that they've been making Civics in Japan that as usual, are probably what Americans would buy.

I'm glad Ford finally understands that it makes no sense to produce different cars for different markets. If you can make the same car in Europe and sell it in the USA, do it, because we'll probably like it.

PHeller wrote: Even more ridiculous is that they've been making Civics in Japan that as usual, are probably what Americans would buy. I'm glad Ford finally understands that it makes no sense to produce different cars for different markets. If you can make the same car in Europe and sell it in the USA, do it, because we'll probably like it.

This.

It's surprising how much the automakers really don't have a clue about what their customers want. Or rather, about what their customers are ready to put money on. And even if they did, would their dealerships be able to sell them.

This reminds me back in 2004, The GRM SRT-4 made me really curious about buying one. So I went to the local dealer to see if I could get a closer look. Once there, the sales guys told me: "We don't have any, and don't plan on getting one. No one's gonna buy a 20K+ Neon." Went to another dealership, and they basically told me the same, and tried to point me into a PT Cruiser GT. They didn't have a clue...

No matter how good or bad that car was, it didn't stand a chance.

I wounder how many cars are screwed by the dealerships.

And more in realtion to Honda. My province has the largest number of compact car buyers in North America. When Honda decided to bring the Fit here, they were so sure that it would be a huge success, the dealerships only had high-end models in stock, and didn't want to charge less than MRSP for them. Sales ended-up being well below expectations, for years, because people simply went to buy a Versa (whose sales figure were much better than expected).

And because of that, I'm sure corporate Honda thinks that the market isn't really interested in compact cars here.