Honda Car India was all set to launch the next generation City sedan in the Indian market in April, however rising state of emergency that arised out of the COVID 19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown forced the launch to be delayed.
Now with the situation slowly getting in control and business has eased out, the Japanese automaker has decided to release full details of the car ahead of the launch in July.
Among the extensive list of features in the new Honda City, the first in class Lane Watch Camera (a feature we’ve seen in the Civic) and Alexa Remote Capability from Honda’s connected car tech are worth mentioning.
For 2020, the new generation Honda City will come fully loaded with several new features such as electric sunroof, full colour tft 17.7cm instrument cluster with MID meter, large touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, electric boot open function, steering mounted controls with scroll function, Ambient lighting, push button start/stop, automatic power windows, remote engine start and rear sunshade.
Built on a new platform, the new Honda City is sportier and modern than before, it gets 9 array LED headlights with LED turn indicators, LED daytime running lights, door mounted wing mirrors, 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels and z-shaped 3D LED taillights.
On the inside, the new City has got plusher than before with richer materials and black and beige colour scheme with plenty of chrome and soft touch materials all around the cabin.
Under the hood, the sedan will come powered by 1.5 litre petrol and diesel engines with 6 speed manual for both engines and CVT gearbox options limited to just the petrol only. The 1.5 litre petrol manual delivers 17.8kmpl, while CVT returns 18.4kmpl and the diesel 1.5 puts out an impressive 24.1kmpl.
The 1.5 litre petrol in an all new motor and will be BS6 compliant. It puts out 121ps and 145 Nm of torque, while the 1.5 litre diesel will be the same existing motor upgraded to meet BS6 norms. The BS6 1.5 litre diesel churns out 100ps and 200Nm of torque.
The new Honda City also comes with a head of safety features such as 6 airbags, hill start assist, vehicle stability control, tyre pressure monitor with deflation warning, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX anchorages for rear seats and Emergency stop signal. The latest 5th generation Honda City also scores 5 star rating at NCAP crash test in Thailand.
Talking about the India launch date, Honda says it’s scheduled sometime in July, while bookings will begin soon and deliveries should begin thereafter.  Pricing for the new Honda City will be on the higher side with current City expected to co-exist for sometime in the market, expect pricing to be on the premium end.
The main rival for the 2020 Honda City will be the facelifted Hyundai Verna which is the only sedan in the segment to carry BS6 petrol and diesel engines, while the Toyota Yaris, Skoda Rapid, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Volkswagen Vento have all shifted to being petrol only offerings.
