Honda To Stop Selling Civic In Japan

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Honda Motor Co. (7267) plans to end domestic sales of its Civic midsize sedan as soon as existing inventories run out.

The automaker will continue selling the Civic around the world. A fully updated model is due to be launched next year.

Honda released the Civic in 1972 as its first full-fledged passenger car. Roughly 3 million have been sold in Japan since then, but demand has plunged in recent years amid the growing popularity of minivans and compact vehicles. In October, Honda's domestic sales totaled 182 Civics and 270 Civic Hybrids.

The company had initially planned to keep the hybrid version on the market, but decided to stop Japanese sales of all Civic models due to weak demand for sedans.

The Civic continues to perform well in overseas markets as Honda's mainstay sedan. Even after domestic sales end, the company will continue manufacturing the car for export at its Suzuka plant in Mie Prefecture.

Source (via Autoblog);
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20101115D15JFN03.htm