Dongfeng Honda Debuts SR-9, Civic Hybrid in Shanghai

The joint venture between the Japanese manufacturer Honda and the Chinese Dongfeng, Dongfeng Honda, has stepped up its plans for the Chinese market and displayed at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show four models, the including an high-end sports sedan and the new Honda Civic hybrid.

Dongfeng Honda will venture itself into the sports car market with the car they call SR-9. The car is still under development and almost nothing is known about what it will bring to the Chinese evermore crowded sport cars segment. Details are expected to surface shortly, as the car is due to enter production sometimes in the second half of 2009, autonews.gasgoo.com reported.

The second star of Dongfeng Honda's stand is the upgraded Civic hybrid. According to tests ran by Tsinghua University, the fuel consumption of the new hybrid is 37.42 percent better (4.7l/100km or 50 mpg) than the Civic Exi AT. The Civic hybrid car has been introduced nationwide in China simultaneously with the international market and is set to go on sale in June.

Alongside these two models, Dongfeng Honda stand also hosted the Chinese made version of the Honda CV-R and the Civic. The latter was first introduced to China in November 2007.

The introduction of new Honda models on the Chinese market is based on the same reasons that drive the other automotive manufacturers. China is doing well, and this is further emphasized by Dongfeng itself, which sold 164,216 vehicles in 2008. It may not seem much for a country the size of China, but for Dongfeng it means a sales growth four times bigger than the industry's average.