The Honda City was one of the very first cars which Honda sold in India, and haven't they come a long way. It was a very move brave by them to release cars like the new-gen City and Civic, whose face and form were unique and radical. Cars in the same segment looked different, and in a market where looks play a vital role in the success of a product, it was a gamble which paid off.
There is an increasing trend to have the same set of styling elements for the entire line of products from the same manufacturer. You can debate that Mercedes Benz was the first to take it up seriously with the new C-Class, but it has been followed by others much earlier. Mitsubishi is the latest to join the pack with their Outlander SUV borrowing some outfit from the Lancer sedan and so is the Honda City, which now looks like the younger brother to the Civic.
IAB has spoken to people who have seen the car in flesh, and they tell us that it straight away brings to mind the Civic. The City is stationed on the Jazz' platform, a hatchback which will arrive at India very shortly. The passenger cabin is now safer and uses high-quality materials and gives more functionality. The NVH has additionally been improved, claim Honda, and the iPod connectivity option adds something more to that otherwise boring Stereo system.
The longer wheelbase and the new motor under the hood promise to make the new City more exciting, which better 0-60 times, superior handling characteristics and more comfort. An exact launch date has not been prescribed by Honda, but we can expect this sedan to reach Indian dealers in a very short while from now.
Continue reading for the Press Release from Honda which discusses more on the above points and for the rest of the gallery
Press Release
The all-new Honda City will make its European debut at the Istanbul Motor Show in October.
The compact sedan is a radical departure from the previous generation car, with a totally new exterior style, featuring some visual elements of the stylish Accord. The restyled exterior is joined by a new 1.4 i-VTEC engine, which gives the City significantly more power and better performance.
The new engine, which is also shared with the new Jazz is fitted with Honda’s acclaimed i-VTEC system, which provides excellent performance and flexibility, without compromising fuel economy or emissions. The new engine gives the City 100PS, a healthy 17 PS increase over the previous model. This extra power helps the new City complete the benchmark 0-100 km/h in just 11.8 seconds for the manual version, an improvement of 1.6 seconds. The automatic version hits 100 in 14.7 seconds, almost half a second quicker than before.
The manual transmission for City is a modified version of the current gearbox, with carbon synchromesh for smoother changes, improved refinement and a new set of optimised gear ratios. The Automatic transmission is all-new and adds the option to shift gears with steering wheel mounted paddles for the first time. With a sport mode, improved shift logic and ratios the new transmission better compliments the new car’s more powerful engine.
The all-new model has been further enhanced over its predecessor with a higher quality of materials, improved aesthetics and functionality. Increased storage capacity around the cabin including a bigger glove box improves practicality, while a new design of seats improves passenger and driver comfort.
The design changes are complimented by several improvements to the Noise Vibration and Harshness technologies applied to the car. A host of new features in the body, interior, suspension, engine and mountings have been included to bring further refinement to Honda’s newest sedan. The NVH enhancements allow customers to make the most of the new audio system which offers iPod connectivity and better sound quality.
The New City is based on the platform of the award winning new Honda Jazz, and benefits from the many of the technologies seen in the new hatchback. The longer wheel base gives a significant improvement in interior space as well as the associated ride and handling benefits. Safety performance is also enhanced with the adoption of the ACE Body Structure (Advanced Compatibility Engineering), which better protects occupants of both cars in the event of a collision between vehicles of different heights.
The all-new City will go on sale from January in selected markets.
