The lightweight, Swindon-built 118bhp diesel engine, which will be fitted to the forthcoming CR-V and is earmarked for a low-carbon Accord shortly afterwards, is expected to account for 70% of fleet Civic sales in 2013 – some 7,000 cars.

At the moment, Honda’s lowest-emitting diesel Civic is the 110g/km 2.2 i-DTEC, which is already boosting the carmaker’s fleet presence. Despite delays meaning there were no vehicles for the first two months of the year, Honda’s fleet sales are up 11% for the first half of 2012 with no captive or daily rental vehicles sold, and a 26% increase in “true fleet” sales.

The majority of its fleet sales to date are the new Civic, of which 1,714 are company cars and the remaining three vehicles are motability – a sector where the Jazz traditionally makes up most of Honda’s volume.

The 100g/km threshold is tightened to 95g/km next April, and all vehicles (including zero emission vehicles) under 95g/km will be grouped in the same bandings from April 2015, followed by the removal of the diesel levy from April 2016 which will bring the Civic in line with low-carbon petrol models.