THIS is Honda’s striking new Civic – and fleet managers will get their first chance to see it in the UK at the Fleet News Hit for Six conference in September.

With ultra-modern styling, Honda is aiming the car at younger buyers and wants to make an impact on user-chooser choice lists.

Stephen Hollings, head of corporate sales at Honda, said: ‘This will be the Civic’s UK premiere and we want to whet fleets’ appetites. We are delighted to debut the Civic at Hit for Six.’

On sale in January, the five-door hatchback is tasked with luring younger buyers into Honda’s lower-medium sector offering.

Hollings said: ‘This is our core car and is very important to us in the corporate market. The new Civic is designed for user-choosers – it has low CO2 emissions, versatility and it is built in Britain.

‘We are looking to attract drivers in their 30s, rather than in their 50s.’

Although Hollings declined to reveal sales aspirations, he said that Honda aimed to get to one in 10 user-choosers.

He added: ‘The new Civic will allow us to have more conversations with fleets.’ The Civic will initially be available as a five-door hatchback, with a three-door hatch and a four-door petrol/electric hybrid coming later. Engines will be petrol units in 1.4-litre 81bhp and 1.8-litre 138bhp guises and a 2.2-litre 138bhp diesel.

Under the skin of the new Civic – see Fleet NewsNet next week.