Here’s a Honda Civic sedan, seen on a ramp leading to a parking lot in the far east of the capital, Beijing, in 2018. The good Honda was in perfect shape, covered with rain, painted in a light shade of silver, fitted with the original five-spoke wheels, and with the rare black 京A Beijing license plates.
The Honda Civic sedan
I had seen this car around the area many times. I finally had a chance to take good photos when it was parked right next to my house. I lived in the building behind the car. The red electric scooter was mine. The window behind the scooter was my kitchen’s.
The eighth-generation Honda Civic was manufactured in China by the Dongfeng-Honda joint venture. Production started in 2006 and ended in 2012, with facelifts in 2008 and 2010. Our silver sedan is a post-second-facelift example, made from 2008 to 2009.
The interior
The China-made Honda Civic sedan had a luxurious interior with leather seats and classy door trim. I have always liked the crazy handbrake, located far to the front. The dashboard is cool too, with a high-mounted instrument panel and a wide center stack with an audio-CD player.
Specifications
The 2008-2009 model had only one engine option: a 1.8-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol unit, with an output of 140 hp and 174 Nm. The motor was mated to a five-speed manual or, like in this car, a five-speed automatic. The Civic was a front-wheel drive car. The top speed was 190 km/h. It had a 50-liter fuel tank and a 375-liter trunk.
Price
The Dongfeng-Honda Civic sedan was decently priced. In 2008, the 1.8 automatic sold for 157.800 yuan, which was good value. The Civic sedan was a popular car in China and in the late 00s, these little sedans were everywhere.
The famous black license plates were issued to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-’00s. These companies could buy a car locally or import one. There were no limits on the number of cars, price, or engine type. The numbering started at 京A·00001, and then went up. So the lower the number, the older the car. Any black plate beginning with 京A·0 or 京A·1 is considered ultra rare. I know, I had one too! This Civic has 京A·39511.