The appealing combination of emissions, refinement and power provided by the Honda Civic’s new 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine has helped it secure another large fleet contract. The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) is based in Northampton and has ordered 40 cars from local retailer Avonvale Honda.
Initially the Civic wasn’t on the charity’s three-strong shortlist of cars. But Kelly Birks, Avonvale Honda’s Business Development Manager for Corporate Sales, said that soon changed when she took the lead and highlighted the benefits of the advanced 1.6-litre engine. A deal was struck just 48 hours after the first meeting.
Kelly continued: “Since the order book opened on the Civic 1.6 diesel there has been a lot of interest because it’s all about saving people money. To do that for a charity, so more money can be put back into helping people, is especially rewarding.”
Phil Day, the charity’s Site Services Manager, commented: “As a charity with a one-model fleet of 40 vehicles, we were looking for a car with strong fuel economy, innovative design and cleaner emissions. The Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC provides us with low running costs, class leading CO2 emissions, low BIK and a competitive monthly rental.”
Assembled in the UK, the 120PS i-DTEC diesel engine is the first new powerplant to be launched in Europe under Honda’s flagship Earth Dreams Technology environmental programme. With outstanding performance figures – CO2 emissions of 94g/km and combined cycle fuel economy of 78.5mpg – it’s been specifically designed to appeal to corporate customers and despite being on sale only a matter of weeks, this is not the first significant fleet deal already signed.
