World’s first fleet Civic ordered

The world’s first fleet order for an all-new Civic has been made – by the Environment Agency, the organisation responsible for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales.

The Environment Agency’s Fleet Operations Manager, Richard Jones, is the lucky man at the top of the order list for the completely new 5-door Civic. And what engine specification has he chosen? The extremely-frugal 2.2 i-CDTi of course – Honda’s acclaimed, high-performance diesel.

"A few of my colleagues drive Honda Accords with the 2.2-litre diesel engine," says Mr Jones, "and I was very impressed with the economy figures they were achieving in a vehicle of that size. Plus of course, the Civic is Euro IV compliant – a very important feature for me, and the Environment Agency."

Indeed, with low emissions figures of just 135g/km of CO2, the diesel-engined Civic falls comfortably under the stringent European regulations.

While it meets all Mr Jones’s environmental concerns, he couldn’t fail to notice the Civic’s startling new image: "Some people say I’m a radical person, and the new Civic is a radical-looking car, but Honda’s name goes before it, so I knew what I was getting in terms of reliability and quality," he says.

Mr Jones’s Civic is among the thousands of new cars currently being built at Honda’s European car plant in Swindon, Wiltshire.