Is the Civic a Japanese Car?

[Wheelchair]

How would you describe it. Some say its Japanese others say European or UK designed.

Where is the Civic built and where was it designed? - Civinfo Wiki

This is a quote from the Civic brochure.....

A Young Japanese designer imagines a car like nothing before.

He goes to Italy to check out exciting and beautiful things.

He returns with ideas so unconventional people laugh.

They say this car can't be built.

We build it.

[angie4m]

As I've posted it was PARTLY designed in Europe. The Two 'Designers' are quoted as Project Leaders would have given and idea and a design brief and some poor guys in Europe Helped designe this car (probably more than letting on as you) and the Project Leaders took the credit which now has people confused as to where it hails from. So okay its a bit of both, but more Euopean than anything else. Built and Assembled alongside the engines which are also engineered and built in Swindon. Only the 1.4 has an engine that hails from Japan.

Although the Euro Civic is partly designed in Europe (11 different countries it is said) there are several things in common between these, the US and the JDM versions.
The exterior design project manger was Toshiyuki Okumoto and the interior design project manager was Yukio Emi.

In my line of work I work with some Project Mangers who come from Oz but they only oversea wats going on where as the rest of the guys do the design and build work so are the systems and products we build Australian as the Project manager os or are the scottish because they hail from a scottish company in Edinburgh? I would say its where it hails from and not who we are told was in charge of overviewing a project

[Wheelchair]

Its interesting to see how people view it. I'm sure the average person would say its Japanese. Maybe others will have a different view.

[angie4m]

Originally Posted by Wheelchair

Its interesting to see how people view it. I'm sure the average person would say its Japanese. Maybe others will have a different view.

Hmmm, now say to someone Honda and they would think Japanese but say Civic and a lot of people relate that to the UK seen as its been built here for such a long time. Usually when I tell someone I have a Civic they inform me its built in the UK as if I didn't know.

Its a bit like the whole is Mini, British or German? Owned by a German company, built in the UK and still seen as a British car even with German owners.

[Brodick]

Civic 3door, 5door hatch had a Japanese designer but very very European in design as most will know Italy and Europe was a huge influence in the civic

The Civic Hybrid however is - Japanese

Also the there were rumors that the facelifted 3 door and 5 door hatch have far more japanese parts - so in theory the number off issues should be far far less

[Wheelchair]

The Mini is certainly a tricky one!

I think of the new one as German TBH, but only because I like cars. If I didn't I'm sure I would think it was still British.

Just out of interest, does anyone know when Civic's were first built in Britain?

[angie4m]

I would guess 1992 when the first plant was opened.

And yes this should have been headed up is the Euro Civic a Japanese Car

[Brodick]

Think it was 1994 13yrs + don't think it was right at the beginning
when the factory opened

[Wheelchair]

So a fair while then.

[angie4m]

I would have been too young to know, but I do remember the adverts where the kids were in school in Swindon and the teacher asked them what they wanted to be and one lad wanted to build Civics and the adverts slogan was Swindon, Home of the Honda Civic.

[Wheelchair]

Here's another example, slightly different.

My Dad is an American, but I'm born here in the UK. The American authorities see me as an American as my father is, but to me I'm British as I was born here.

Strange isn't it?!?

[angie4m]

Thats where my point lies, if you have two parents from a different country, who then see a very happy man and woman with a baby and think I want that happiness whilst they are visiting another country and then have that child in another country is that child A) The same nationality as their parents? B) The same nationality as the country it was concieved or C) where it was actually born?

[Wheelchair]

Another example.

Honda's Formula One team is a Japanese team, but its based in Brackley in Northamptonshire. Japanese or English?

I guess we could go on all night!

[angie4m]

You could, but you also have to think that for these two project managers to have designed this car between the two of them they would have had to take into consideration the NCAP systems and European safety standards and my guess is that they came up with an initial idea while the guys in Europe worked to try and accomodate this as best as they could whilst trying keep up with the Safety Standards kept. They would have also had to have taken into consideration how excatly this could be built without it being too complicated and expesensive. These things would have been left in the hands of someone else to look at whilst they overviewed the process

[paul_b]

I voted Japanese, as that's where I understand much of the design was carried out, albeit with strong European influences.

Having said that, I consider it a UK/European car, as that's where it's built - but that wasn't an option in the poll.

[Honcho]

The build quality doesn't seem very Japanese, does it!?

[Wheelchair]

Originally Posted by Honcho

The build quality doesn't seem very Japanese, does it!?

You're right there!

The previous Civic was a bit better built.

[appleipop]

well i'll say its a japanese car, though i dont really care =P

honda is a motor company from japan, but our civic is made in Britain, and the components is from the global... xD

[angie4m]

Yip, I did say in another thread when it was called Japanese 'Until there is fault or a problem and then its typical british build and if this was built in Japan it would be a much better car etc'

[Opelguy]

It's interesting this, the origins of a modern car. Its a matter clearly influenced by individual bias and pride. Honda for example are considered a japanese company by almost everyone even though they make cars in many other countries, with parts to these cars coming in from many other places. The Civic is pressed, painted and assembled in Swindon but there's a good chance the dashboard could have come from France, the stereo from the Philipines, wheel bearings from Sweden and shock absorbers from Poland for example.

If you ask an american about Ford it's as american as Coca Cola, if you ask a briton about Ford he might say that it's british. Ford have been at the centre of british automotive industry for so long it's assimilated into the common industrial heritage. Both the american and the english are right, because Ford of America and Ford of Europe have been so separated for years that they can rightfully be called two different companies.
Yet most european Ford products are developed and produced in Germany and Belgium, not the UK. Which brings us to Vauxhall. What is a Vauxhall? As a independent brand it ceased operations long ago, yet the brand remains and is without a doubt british. There is some production at Ellesmere Port, but what they make is designed and built in bulk in Germany by Opel. As with Ford and Honda, parts come from all over the world.

What is a Skoda really? Is it a czech car or a german car built in the Czech republic? Same with Seat. Soon the Seat Exeo is launched, that car used to be sold as an Audi A4. What is it now? A Volvo, is that a swedish Ford? What are Fords with Volvo engines?

The origins of a car these days is a tricky thing indeed. I think if Honda would have had production in the UK a few decades earlier, the question whether it's japanese or british would have been much harder to answer.