Honda To Unveil The City Hybrid On April 14

It will be a proper hybrid with an EV mode as well

• The City Hybrid will get a petrol engine with two electric motors. 

• The petrol engine will produce 98PS and 127Nm and the electric motor will produce 109PS and 253Nm, paired with an e-CVT gearbox. 

• Will be available in Pure EV, hybrid and pure petrol modes. 

• Should offer a claimed fuel efficiency of around 30kmpl.

• Could gain ADAS, making it the first sedan with this safety technology. 

• To demand around Rs 2.5 lakh over the City’s top-spec petrol-CVT variant, which retails at Rs 15 lakh. 

Honda has finally given us a heads up about the City Hybrid, which will be unveiled on April 14 in India. The fifth-gen City Hybrid is set to become India’s most affordable self charging strong hybrid offering, dethroning the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Do note that it should not be confused with the mild-hybrid technology that we see on the Maruti Ciaz (and some other models) that just offers minor improvement in fuel efficiency. 

The Honda City Hybrid will use Honda’s latest i-MMD eHEV hybrid powertrain, which uses twin electric motors along with the 1.5-litre petrol engine. The lithium-ion battery will self charge through regenerative braking or engine power. It will be available in three drive modes: Pure EV, hybrid, and pure petrol. 

The City Hybrid will use a 98PS/127Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine, while its most powerful electric motor will produce 109PS and 253Nm. An e-CVT (electronic CVT) gearbox will power the front wheels. 

The car runs on EV mode, for instance in the city’s stop and go traffic, where a petrol engine will have low fuel efficiency. Once the car reaches highways or starts gaining speed, the system automatically starts using the hybrid or pure petrol mode. 

The official fuel economy figures are yet to be revealed, but the Thai-spec City Hybrid offers a claimed economy of up to 28kmpl. This is nearly 10kmpl more than the petrol-powered City. 

In terms of styling, the City Hybrid is likely to come in the Thai-spec’s RS version, offering sportier bumpers, a honeycomb grille, and a boot lid spoiler. It could also gain ADAS (advanced driver assistance technology) with features such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic high beam adjustment. If it gains ADAS, it will be the only sedan in its segment to offer the safety technology. 

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The Honda City hybrid is expected to go on sale in May. It's likely to be offered in a single fully loaded variant, which can command around Rs 2.5 lakh over the top-spec petrol variant. The City’s petrol variants range from Rs 11.23 lakh to RS 14.98 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). With this, City will be the only mass-market proper hybrid car you can buy.