Here’s What You Need To Know About The Honda City Hybrid In 10 Images

The City hybrid will get a self-charging system and segment-first ADAS feature

The Honda City hybrid is finally set to enter the Indian market on May 4. It will be the first mass-market car from the manufacturer and also in its segment to feature a self-charging hybrid system. While its main highlight is seen under the hood, the hybrid model does get some visual upgrades and important feature additions. 

So, while you’re waiting for the launch, here’s a quick virtual tour of the City Hybrid in just 10 pictures: 

Front

The Honda City hybrid is loosely inspired by the RS variant sold in Thailand. Most of the changes have been carried over to the India-spec City hybrid save for the Blue colour. Up front, the hybrid model features a honeycomb grille under the huge chrome beltline instead of the slatted design of the regular model. The fog lamp design has also been tweaked, which gives the bumper a sportier look. One small hybrid-specific element that you might actually miss out is the blue ‘Honda’ logo. It continues with the same set of LED headlights with LED DRLs. 

Side

The side profile remains completely unchanged. It continues with the same 16-inch dual-tone alloys, chrome door handles, electrically operated ORVMs with turn indicators, and blacked-out B-pillar. 

Rear

At the back, you can see more differences such as the new rear bumper diffuser, a bootlip spoiler, the blue ‘Honda’ logo, and most importantly, the ‘e:HEV’ inscription. The Z-shaped LED taillights and the overall rear profile, otherwise, remains the same. 

Interior

While the Thai-spec Honda City RS gets an all-black cabin, the hybrid model continues with the regular City’s black-beige theme. No changes have been made to the cabin styling. 

Also Read: Here’s How The Honda e:HEV Hybrid System Works

Technology And Features

You get the same set of features as seen on the regular City. The list includes an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with Alexa connectivity and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, connected car technology with remote operation, a semi-digital instrument cluster, electric sunroof, and paddle shifters. 

ADAS

The Honda City hybrid gets a radar module on the windscreen, which means Honda Sensing or ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system). This is a segment-first feature and is still found in few mass-market cars. The ADAS features automatic emergency braking, road departure mitigation system, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and auto high beam. 

Other Safety Features

The hybrid’s safety features include six airbags, rear disc brakes, electronic parking brake with auto-hold function, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), hill start assist, vehicle stability management, traction control, lane-watch camera, and a rear view camera. 

Powertrain

Honda is offering the City hybrid with a petrol engine and two electric motors. It gets a 1.5-litre petrol engine that delivers 98PS and 127Nm. The electric motors produce 109PS, which takes the combined power output to 126PS and the peak torque is rated at 253Nm. Its onboard systems manage the use of the engine and the battery to drive the front wheels to achieve peak efficiency. The battery uses a self-charging system through regenerative braking and engine power. 

Fuel Efficiency

Honda claims that the City Hybrid will offer an average fuel economy of 26.5kmpl, which is around 8kmpl more than the regular City. Interestingly, if we go by the claimed fuel efficiency, the hybrid could offer a range of around 1,000 kilometres. The city fuel efficiency can reach up to 30kmpl as well. 

Gearbox

The City Hybrid gets an e-CVT (Electrically coupled Continuously Variable Transmission)  which is unlike a conventional transmission because it has no gears. It’s a single-speed setup that still does the basic task of transferring power to move the front axle. The powertrain operates between three drive modes: pure EV, hybrid, and engine-only. The drive modes change automatically, depending on the driving conditions. For instance, the EV mode is used mostly at startup or for slow city driving. The hybrid mode comes into play for urban driving or spirited acceleration. For cruising at highway speeds, the system then switches to the engine-only mode because it is operating at peak efficiency between the range of 80-120kmph. 

Also Read: Honda City Hybrid vs Rivals: Fuel Efficiency Compared

The Honda City hybrid is expected to be priced around Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom). While it doesn’t have any direct rival, it will fall in the same price range of the top-spec variants of the Skoda Slavia and the Volkswagen Virtus. 

Read More on : Honda City Automatic