Next Gen 2020 Honda City Spotted in India

Fifth generation Honda City spotted in India. Subtly different from Thai car spotted earlier

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.

• Honda’s all-new City spotted in India for the first time. 
• Camouflaged car suggests some difference from Thai-spec car spotted earlier. 
• 5th Generation City likely to debut at Auto Expo 2020.
• Will feature BS6 compliant diesel and petrol engine options. Likely to get hybrid technology too.
• Expect prices to be in the range of Rs 10 lakh - Rs 15 lakh.

Honda’s fifth-generation City has been spotted in India for the very first time. Previously, it had been spied in Thailand, where it is a popular sedan.  The next generation City is expected to be seen in India for the first time in February 2020, at the Auto Expo. This model will replace the fourth-generation sedan that has been on sale in India since 2014.

The pictures of the car spotted in India suggest that it is slightly different from the car spotted in Thailand earlier this year. For starters, the alloy wheel design is different, with the Thai-spec City using a more intricate design for the stems on the alloy wheels. It also seems to have a more prominent boot-lip. It is possible, that it was a sportier variant that was caught on test there. It is possible that Honda is making tweaks to the design to suit Indian car buyers, who prefer a more premium and upmarket look.

While the overall design seems to be an evolution of the current City, you can expect a sharper face like on the new generation Accord with all-LED headlamps. The tail lamps will also use LEDs and there seems to be some difference in the design for the India spec car, compared to the Thai-spec sedan.

The City is expected to be larger and more premium, packing in more features than before. It is likely to get a new dashboard as spied on the next-generation Jazz with a large touchscreen taking centre stage. It’s also likely that Honda will equip the City with a digital display for the driver’s instrument cluster, like on the Civic and CR-V. We hope Honda offer the clever Lane Watch feature in the City too, like in its elder siblings. As before, you can expect it to offer the necessary upmarket features like leather upholstery, automatic climate control, rear AC vents and a sunroof too. However, wireless charging, ventilated seats and connected car features are becoming quite talked about now. Typically, Honda plays it safe and is slow to jump onto such bandwagons. 

The new City is likely to continue with the current set of 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines, both of which will be updated to meet upcoming BS6 emission norms. The 1.5-litre petrol could be upgraded to with direct injection to produce slightly more power, improve efficiency and clean up emissions.  Honda also recently announced that the i-MMD system would be standard on the next generation Jazz in Europe. The Jazz and the City are designed on the same platform and that raises the likelihood of Honda offering the City with a hybrid option. How this sits with the diesel options in the lineup and whether Honda finally brings the diesel-CVT transmission combination to the City remains to be seen. 

You can expect the new generation City to make its debut at the 2020 Auto Expo. It will go up against rivals such as Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid. It is safe to expect that the larger, more luxurious and BS6 compliant City will be more expensive.  Currently, the Honda City is priced from Rs 9.72 lakh to Rs 14.07 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Image Source: Team-BHP

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