All About Japan Autos

Honda Civic New Ford Focus and VW Golf rival will be quieter and more refined thanks to input from ex-F1 engineers
The launch of the new Honda Civic is edging ever closer, with an unveil set for the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The Japanese firm has released more details about its new Ford Focus rival, revealing how it has used ex-Formula One engineers to make the new car more refined and quieter than ever. 

Key to this is the slippery shape of the new Civic, which has been developed using the expertise of a team who worked on Honda’s Formula One racers. This, the firm says, has helped them to combine a low drag coefficient with impressive high-speed stability, in turn reducing fuel consumption and making the Civic exceptionally quiet. 

Engineers have also spent time in Honda’s anechoic (echo-free) chamber, which is located at the company’s Swindon facility. Cabin noise has been reduced by working in the chamber to change the design of the roof lining.

“We did not improve the noise and refinement of the new Civic through just one technique,“ explained chassis development leader Kazuo Sunaoshi. “It was the accumulation of lots of little details. My big challenge was to match the noise and vibration levels of our European competitors. I am proud to say that we have achieved our goals.”

Honda has also made extensive use of UK roads to fine-tune the Civic’s ride comfort on our bumpy tarmac. Sales of the new model will start in January 2012.

For an alternative review of the latest Honda Civic visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk