Currently, the car maker has some 1,000 workers on its payroll, but the demand for its vehicles would require it to at least double that number. The additional workforce will comprise a second shift, meant to support the production of the new generation Civic.
For the moment, however, the Civic production is not going as it should, because of the parts shortages caused by the Japanese March 11 disaster. When it announced that most of the production in the US would be back to normal by August, Honda also admitted that the output of the new Civic would have to wait some more before getting back on track.
Presented earlier this year, the new Civic comes equipped with a 2.4l i-VTEC engine that delivers 201 horsepower and 170 lb-ft (230 Nm), paired to a 6-speed manual transmission and standard limited-slip differential. A 1.8l engine is also available.
The Civic Natural Gas, the only manufacturer-built natural gas-powered car on the US market, is powered by a natural gas variant of the 1.8l engine similar to the one used in the Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, providing combined fuel consumption is 31 mpg (7.59 liters/100 km).
The 2012 Civic will be offered with new features as standard including a 5-inch LCD “Intelligent” Multi-Information Display (i-MID), the Eco Assist technology that helps achieve a more efficient vehicle operation and the new Motion Adaptive Electronic Power Steering System.
Google News