A few months ago, the Japanese market Honda Civic RS e:HEV received an update, and one of those included the brand’s patented S+ Shift technology that the Prelude debuted.

Honda Thailand has recently launched its updated Civic lineup, which now consists of an all-hybrid range from the base EL variant to the top-of-the-line RS e:HEV. And guess what, the sedan version RS e:HEV in Southeast Asia is also getting the S+ Shift technology.

That’s right. The unique feature from the Prelude is now available in the Civic RS e:HEV in Thailand, allowing the CVT to mimic the behavior of an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, simulating torque cuts along with piped-in engine sounds to inject a bit more driving excitement and engagement.

The e:HEV powertrain, meanwhile, is unchanged. Across the entire Civic range is a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with two synchronous electric motors, producing a total system output of 184 PS and 315 Nm of torque.

In terms of equipment, the Civic RS carries over its existing features such as the black-themed interior with red contrast stitching and trim, the infotainment touchscreen with Google built-in, Bose premium speakers, as well as USB Type-C and wireless charging.

For Honda Sensing-equipped variants in Thailand, there’s an added blind spot monitor and a rear cross-traffic alert in the list of features. Lastly, the Civic RS e:HEV in Thailand gets two new colors: Blazing Red and Urban Gray Pearl. The former looks to be in a similar shade to the PH market’s Ignite Red Metallic, while the Urban Gray Pearl could be a new addition to the available palette options.

These small updates to the Civic RS have added THB 20,000 (PHP 37,000) to its price tag, which should be more or less the price increase that we could expect once the updated Civics make their way to the Philippine market.

What we should keep an eye on, though, is if Honda Cars PH will follow Thailand and introduce the e:HEV powertrain to the lower trim levels of the Civic, and make hybrid technology attainable at a lower price point. They’ve already done it with the CR-V, and the Civic’s long-time rival, the Corolla Altis, also already features the majority of its variant range with hybrid.