| Honda Concerto | |
|---|---|
_EX-i_hatchback_(2015-07-14)_01.jpg) 1989 Honda Concerto EX-i hatchback (MA2, Australia) | |
| Overview | |
| Also called | |
| Production |
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| Assembly |
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| Designer | Yutaka Ikeda (1985)[3] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | |
| Layout | FF layout/AWD |
| Related | Honda Civic |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
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| Transmission | 5-speedmanual 4-speedautomatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,550 mm (100.4 in) |
| Length |
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| Width | 1,690 mm (66.5 in)) |
| Height | 1,415 mm (55.7 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor |
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| Successor |
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TheHonda Concerto is acompact car (C-segment) manufactured byHonda from 1988 until 1996. Designed to aim at European tastes, it was jointly developed byHonda and theAustin Rover Group and was introduced in Japan on 15 June 1988,[4] and in European markets in October 1989. Japanese production finished in October 1992 and British production finished in 1995 (although a rebadged Rover diesel with Honda Concerto badging continued to be built until late 1996). The car was named for themusical composition and was a successor to the second generationHonda Ballade, a higher specificationHonda Civic. All Japanese versions were exclusive to Japanese Honda dealerships calledHonda Clio.
The Concerto was sold in bothliftback andsaloon styles and built in two locations: Austin Rover'sLongbridge plant for the European market,[1][2] and by Honda inSuzuka, Mie, Japan.[citation needed]
Japanese production began in June 1988, originally only as a front-wheel drive saloon. The liftback and four-wheel drive saloon became available one month later, in July 1988. European deliveries, meanwhile, only began after British Concerto production commenced at the end of 1989.[5] The Europe-only models, such as the 1.4, were released in October 1989.[6] In Australia and some European countries, for example Germany and Switzerland, it was only sold as a five-door liftback so as to not compete internally with the four-door Civic saloon. In many European markets it acted as replacement for the slow-sellingHonda Integra five-door liftback. The saloon version was produced until 1993 for most nations, especially in the United Kingdom, where sales were lower compared to the more upscaleRover 200 andRover 400 Series. Honda intended for the car to appeal to European tastes.[7]
The Japanese-built models – MA1 (1.5-liter), MA2 (1.6-liter), and MA3 (1.6-liter 4WD) – were produced withdouble wishbone suspension whilst the British-built model, HW, were produced withMacPherson struts.
Engine choices were:
The four-door saloon was offered with four-wheel drive in Japan, a system later shared with the Civic-based compact SUV, theHonda CR-V. The Japanese range received a facelift in February 1991, when the twin-cam ZC engine was also added to the JZ-Si model.[8] The facelift included new taillights and a more upright front design, with more bulbous headlights.
The Concerto was based on a platform which was shared with the popularCivic. Just like the five-door Integra it replaced, it offered more features than the Civic and was aimed at a more prestigious section of the market. The styling of the Concerto reflected an influence from theHonda Ascot, most notably the six-light window treatment of thegreenhouse.
For France, Italy, andPortugal only, markets where diesel engines were essential offerings, a turbodiesel Concerto was made available late in the model's life.[9] In France, for instance, Rover's 200/400 series outsold the Concerto by a ratio of five-to-one, with diesels representing 80 percent of Rover sales.[10] This model was a toe in the water for Honda, their first diesel-engined passenger car (aside from the 1993Honda Jazz, a rebadged Isuzu only available in Japan).
The Concerto TD, however, was a badge-engineeredRover 218 SLD Turbo and thus has completely different sheetmetal from Honda's own Concertos. Introduced in August 1994, it was only available as a five-door liftback. In addition to the different appearance and interior (including the Rover's wood trim), the TD has Rover'sMacPherson strut front suspension rather than Honda's typicaldouble wishbone setup as used on petrol-engined Concertos.[9] The only difference was emblems and hubcaps. As with the Rover 218 SLD, the Concerto TD was fitted with Peugeot's 1.8-literXUD7 engine. While arriving very late, several years after the range had been replaced in Japan, its mission appears to have succeeded: the TD version represented 94 percent of French Concerto sales in 1995.[10] Production ended in October 1996.
Honda stopped manufacturing the Concerto in Great Britain about a year after its partner, Rover, was taken over byBMW in 1994. Petrol-engined models were built there until 1995, while the Rover-based diesel lasted until October 1996.[10] It was replaced by a new, Swindon-built five-doorHonda Civic liftback, itself a rebadged version of theHonda Domani which had replaced the Concerto in Japan in 1992. The Civic liftback was quite different from the rest of the sixth generation Civic range as it, and the Domani, were based on the fifth generation (EG, EH) Civic's platform instead.
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