2020 Honda City Unveiled, India Launch Expected In Mid-2020

It’s bigger in size with a new turbo-petrol engine

Update: Honda has launched the fifth-gen City in India with prices beginning from Rs 10.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). You can read more about it here.

• Fifth-gen Honda City made its global premiere in Thailand.

• Longer, wider and lower than the current model.

• Looks more like the Amaze now, gets boxier proportions with beefier bumpers.

• Features Honda’s latest 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that produces 122PS and 173Nm.

• Expected to arrive in India around mid-2020 with more engine options.

The fifth-gen Honda City compact sedan has just broken cover in Thailand. It now looks boxier than before with more prominent edges than slopes, improving its upmarket presence in the segment. The new City is bigger and it gets a powerful new turbo-charged petrol engine too.

The 2020 City sedan is wider, longer and lower than before. As a result, Honda has made the cabin more spacious, especially for the rear passengers. Here are the Thai-spec dimensions of the new-gen Honda sedan:

The new Honda City front end looks more like the Amaze than the Civic but it still has a premium feel to it. It still has the slab of chrome between the headlamps but the all-new, first-ever RS variant replaces it with a more tasteful black bar. The new headlamps design incorporates the LED DRLs, which seem to integrate into the sweep of the bar above the grille. Honda is offering the all-LED headlamps only with the RS variant while others get projector headlamps.

Its new rear end is drastically different compared to the current model. The sharp cut offs have been replaced with smoother curves. The new LED tail lamps look a lot more premium than before but not as sporty as the C-shaped tail lamps of the Civic. The rear bumper looks beefier than the current model.

The dashboard layout of the Thai-spec fifth-generation Honda City looks minimalist unlike the asymmetric layout of the outgoing model. The central AC vents have been moved from the top of the dash to the sides of the new, bigger 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It doesn’t have the piano-black panel around the infotainment system anymore. The overall layout is inspired by the all-new Jazz.

The climate control system now has a three-dial layout instead of the touch panel. It also has a storage area under that next to the charging ports, angled towards the driver. Honda has stuck with the analog dials for the instrument cluster but the new City does get new steering-mounted controls. The Thai-spec City has been showcased with an all-black interior while some of the variants will get a dual-tone interior too.

In terms of powertrain options, the 2020 Honda City is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. It is tuned to an output of 122PS and 173Nm while mated to a CVT automatic transmission and a claimed mileage of 23.8kmpl. The new-gen City is also expected to get a hybrid variant in the near future like the new-gen Jazz but Honda has not yet shared any details of the electrified powertrain.

According to sources, the India-spec version of the new-gen Honda City will not offer the turbo-petrol engine as a new option alongside BS6 versions of the current 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines. Honda is more likely to introduce the petrol-hybrid variant of the new City in India by 2021.

Honda is expected to introduce the latest version of its best-seller in India by mid-2020 with the top-spec variants being more expensive than the current model. It will continue to compete against the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Ciaz, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid.

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