HONDA DEBUTS 2016 CIVIC COUPE RACING LIVERY TO COMPETE IN 2016 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS SERIES

• Will campaign the all-new Civic Coupe in partnership with Red Bull and Olsbergs MSE

Mar 22, 2016 - NEW YORK -- Today Honda unveiled the new racing livery for its Civic Red Bull Global Rallycross racecar, announcing plans to campaign the all-new turbocharged 2016 Civic Coupe in the 2016 series in partnership with Red Bull and championship-winning race team Olsbergs MSE. The Honda Civic Red Bull GRC team will begin racing on May 21 in Phoenix at the first event of the season.

Developed from a production-model 2016 Civic Coupe chassis by renowned builders and racers Olsbergs MSE (OMSE) with technical assistance from Honda Performance Development (HPD), the all-new Civic Red Bull GRC car is built to withstand the rigorous demands of racing in a series that emphasizes repeated aggressive acceleration and varied terrain. The car will boast more than 600 horsepower, turn in a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds and is designed to handle the 70 foot table-top jumps featured on each racetrack.

'Global Rallycross is seriously extreme racing, and it's a terrific platform to showcase the new Civic Coupe to an enthusiastic, performance-minded young audience,' said Nick Lee, National Advertising Manager, American Honda Motor Co, Inc. 'We won't encourage our customers to take 70-foot jumps out on the street, but we will use this platform to tell people about all the incredible technology and performance capabilities of our new Civic Coupe.'

Driving the 2016 Honda Civic Red Bull GRC car for Team Honda are experienced competitors and former teammates Sebastian Eriksson and Joni Wiman. Eriksson, from Sweden, and Wiman, from Finland, have both made their mark in the series, with Wiman winning the 2014 Global Rallycross Championship and Eriksson finishing second in 2015. The two met in competition during the 2013 GRC Lites season, where Eriksson finished runner-up to Wiman, who swept the series.

Honda's entry into Red Bull Global Rallycross is the latest in a diverse portfolio of North American professional and grassroots auto racing programs supported by Honda that include the Verizon IndyCar Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge, United States F4 Championship and multiple Touring Car and Rally Car series.

Red Bull Global Rallycross is designed to produce some of the fastest and most exciting racing in motorsports, pitting small production-based cars against each other in door-to-door racing featuring dirt, asphalt, and table-top jumps. The 2016 Honda Global Rallycross Civic will make its racing debut on May 21 and May 22 with a double header event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information visit www.RedBullGlobalRallycross.com.

About Honda Civic

The Honda Civic Sedan, recently named the 2016 North American Car of the Year, leads a Civic lineup that is America's top retail selling compact car1 and the most popular vehicle in America with U.S. millennials2. The sporty and sophisticated 10th-generation Civic lineup features new Honda turbo engine technology, class-leading EPA fuel economy of up to 42 MPG and the latest in connected-car technology, including both Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. This completely reimagined Civic lineup kicked off last fall with the launch of the 2016 Civic Sedan, followed by the arrival of the seriously sporty 2016 Civic Coupe. The all-new Civic 5-Door hatch will launch later this year, followed in 2017 by Civic Si variants and a radical new Civic Type-R, topping off the sportiest, most expansive model lineup in the 44-year history of Civic.

About Honda

Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic and Accord passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot sport/utility vehicles, and the Odyssey minivan. The next generation Ridgeline pickup truck is set to debut later this year.

Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2015, more than 99 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

by Honda

Manufactured by Honda in July of 1972, the two-door sedan Honda Civic was small and compact yet filled with vast interior space.

Rated as Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1980, the Civic achieved status on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best lists six time from 1985 to 1996. At the 2006 North American International Auto show (NAIAS) Car of the Year awards, the Civic took home the North American Car of the Year title.

The first-year civic came with an estimated 50 horsepower, and a 1,169 cc inline four-cylinder engine. Weighing only about 1,500 pounds, the Civic came with 0.71 horsepower per cubic inch. The Civic came with a transverse engine, and 1169 cc engine with front wheel drive and a wheelbase of 220 cm.

Sold as either a four-speed manual or two speed, this vehicle typically came with a A radio, heater, plastic trim, painted steel rims with a chromed wheel nut cap and two-speed wipers.

Eventually becoming more luxurious, the updated Civic comes with satellite-linked navigation, power lock and windows and as a six-speed manual.

Before 1973, Honda was better known for producing motorcycles than vehicles. It was the arrival of the Civic that turned around the Honda opinion and its predilection for vehicle production. Achieving more than 40 mpg on the highway, this small car had room for four passengers.

Available in either a 3-door hatchback or a sedan version, this vehicles were identical except for their rear options. The sedan offered a small vertical panel that opened and provided access to the ‘trunk'.

Arriving with standard options such as power front disc brakes, reclining bucket seats, woodgrain-accented dashboard and vinyl seating, the options were minimal butincluded air conditioning, automatic transmission, rear wipers (in the hatchback) and radial tires. The hatchback also included a fold-down rear seat, cloth upholstery and an AM radio.

Honda Civic's have always represented dependability and a good value for the price. At a base price of around $2,200, the Civc was considered to be practical and ecconomical without any pretenses.

Nearly two years after its release, the engine expanded to 1,237 cc and available horsepower when from 50 to 52. The bumpers on the Civic also grew longer along with its overall length to 146.9 inches to meet the 5-mph bumper impact standard.

A design that promoted cleaner and more efficient combustion, the CVCC (Controlled Vortex Combustion Chamber) was introduced in 1975 and eliminated the need for a catalytic convertor or unleaded fuel to meet emission standards. This new engine offered 53-horsepower displaced 1, 499 cc.

In 1975 a manual 5-speed manual gear box also became available at the same time as the Civic station wagon was released. The station wagon measured an overall length of 160 inches and had a wheelbase of 89.9 inches and came with the new CVCC engine.

In this same year, Civic sales ranked a whopping 100,000 units.

With an increase of the CVCC engine to 60 horsepower, 1978 models had new black grilles, new turn signals and rear-facing hood vents.

The 1980 Civic came with a sleek body that had an increased wheelbase at 88.6 inches for the Hatchback and 91.3 inches for the wagon. At the same time, the ‘sedan' version was no longer produced.

In 1981, a four-door sedan was introduced, and at the same time the rudimentary two-speed unit was replaced by a more modern three-speed automatic. The following year the five-speed ‘FE' (Fuel Economy) was released and achieved 41 mpg in the city, and 55 mpg on the highway. Updated features included rectangular headlamps and black bumpers.

In 1984 the Civic began to expand in size, and also became more advanced and sophisticated in terms of design. A new 1.5 liter-engine with 12 valves and 76 horsepower came on the newly released Civic.

Civic's strong reputation as a reliable and dependable vehicle continued through the years. Popularity for Honda vehicles continued to rise and their annual sales topped 200,000.

by Jessican Donaldson