Thailand's 2026 Honda Civic e:HEV RS S+ Shift is the first to combine LaneWatch and BSI, same for Malaysia?

Are you a Honda LaneWatch fan, or do you prefer blind spot monitoring (or BSI – Blind Spot Information in Honda lingo)?

Whichever camp you may be on, Honda Thailand has the solution for you, as the recently-launched 2026 Honda Civic e:HEV RS S+ Shift incorporates both BSI and LaneWatch in the model, properly satisfying both camps.

Yes, Thailand is very likely the first market globally to include BOTH LaneWatch and BSI in the same model. Recall that a couple of years ago, Honda was gradually removing LaneWatch from its models, replacing it with BSI.

Even the Japanese-spec Civic e:HEV S+ Shift is BSI-only.

As a brief recap, Honda LaneWatch utilizes a camera mounted on the passenger side mirror (left-hand side mirror for right-hand drive cars, and vice versa for LHD cars), which displays a video feed when the driver turns on the left signal (or right signal for LHD cars). The video feed provides a clear view of the car’s blind spot, especially when merging lanes or making a left turn (or right turn in the case of LHD cars).

That said, LaneWatch can be counterintuitive as the driver would need to look at the car’s infotainment display where the video feed is, as a driver’s typical instinct is to look at the mirror when turning left or right.

Furthermore, LaneWatch only works on the passenger side of the car, leaving the driver vulnerable to potential objects in the driver side blind spot.

Enter BSI (or the generic term BSM) – which mounts two radar sensors inside the edges of the rear bumper, which unlike LaneWatch, works on both sides of the car’s blind spot.

Volkswagen's BSM are mounted on the side mirror covers

Volvo's earlier BLIS indicator is mounted on the base of the A-pillar

Some may argue that LaneWatch works in dark and rainy conditions, but some car manufacturers thought of that and implemented BSM indicators inside the car, and not outside. Other car manufacturers offer BSM indicators on the housing of the side mirror itself, thus eliminating the problem altogether.

Even the recently-launched 2026 Honda City facelift, continues to offer only the LaneWatch camera; BSI isn't offered.

What about Malaysia?

At the time of writing, it remains to be seen which option will be offered on the Malaysian-spec, S+ Shift-equipped Civic. Some of the recent Honda launches in the country, like the updated Honda CR-V, Honda Prelude, and Honda e:N1 have dropped LaneWatch altogether, opting for BSI instead.