The manually controlled Honda Civic and the Honda Fit will be undergoing some reengineering to be qualified for the Government of Canada’s 2008 ecoAUTO Rebate program. In order to qualify for this program, the car must meet Transport Canada’s fuel economy rating of 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers or less. The Canadian government’s ecoAUTO rebates for both the Civic and the Fit is $1,000, while the Civic Hybrid is up for 2008 with a $2,000 rebate. Honda will only be implementing the changes to both sedan and coupe models, except for their top-of-the-line Civic Si coupe and sedan.
“We worked very hard within an incredibly short period of time with Honda's research and development teams and our assembly facilities to make the necessary changes to allow manual transmission-equipped Fit and Civic models to qualify for the rebate program,” said Honda Canada Inc.’s executive vice president Jim Miller in a statement. “The changes that Honda Canada made to these Fit and Civic models are quite significant. However, we were able to make these engineering changes without any compromises to our full complement of standard safety features. This approach goes beyond industry and government requirements to ensure that Canadians are not forced to choose between environmental concerns or personal safety when buying a vehicle, regardless of its price or size. This is our 'Honda Benefit' for Canadians.”
This is good news for all the Canadians who are eyeing the Civic as their next mode of quality transportation. Not only is the Civic Honda’s fleet of high-performing cars, but also a fuel efficient vehicle. Practical? Nah, the word’s “ideal”. It’s just great to live the Honda Civic Life.
