Honda has unveiled what it calls the Integra sedan for China, but is actually an 11th-gen Civic in drag. On the plus side, it comes with the most powerful engine in the lineup and more gearbox choices, too.
On the outside, the rebadged Civic has slim LED headlamps in the base trim, new bumpers and a different radiator grille pattern. It also rides on 18-inch wheels instead of the usual 17-inch ones and has access to a couple of previously unavailable finishes.
Inside, there is an optional contrasting color trim for the front panel and the seats… and that’s about it. A 12-speaker Bose audio system is also included in the spec along with a 9-inch infotainment unit and a digital dash cluster.
The regular Civic for China comes equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine available in 129 PS (127 hp / 95 kW) and 182 PS (179 hp / 134 kW) versions. In contrast, the Integra is limited to the latter, more powerful version. It is also obtainable in CVT and manual variants, while the only Civic that can only go manual in China is the hatchback.
Production of the current Honda Civic is handled by the Honda-Dongfeng joint enterprise. The badge-engineered Integra will be assembled at a factory owned by Honda’s another partner in China, GAC.