By Gaurav Malik and Shakti Budhiraja
The Honda City facelift was launched in New Delhi today. The facelifted version receives a handful of tweaks and each and every one of them are based on results of customer study. Bookings of the new City have begun but deliveries start only in mid-January.
After the natural calamities in Japan earlier this year production at the Noida facility slipped to 50% only to be upset again by the Thai floods. Honda then had to stop production of Jazz and Brio due to supply constraints. Honda says production of these two models will resume in February next year.
The City is not affected by the situation and components have been sourced from China and Japan to meet demand. Besides, Honda has reached a better localization level to continue production.
The Honda City was introduced in the Indian market back in 1997. The first generation City was facelifted twice in the year 2000 and 2001 after which the second generation City was launched in 2003. This model underwent revisions first in 2005 and then in 2007. The third generation City, launched back in 2008, received its first facelift today.
On this model, Honda has introduced features such as electric sunroof and cruise control. The top-end model gets new 10-spoke alloy wheels and the old 5-spoke alloy wheels are shifted to the lower models. New front and rear bumper (with reflectors) add to its sporty character, the chrome grill, tail lamps and ORVMs with turn indicators are among other exterior changes.
Two new colours have been inducted. The prices have not been increased drastically and with the addition of a new corporate model, which is approx Rs.50,000 cheaper than the old ‘E’ version making it even more affordable.
Chrome is present on the door handles, instrument panel and on select switches. The new improved combimeter now has a cool blue backlight, and the along with the trip meter, you can view readings like current fuel consumption, distance to zero, etc.
List of new features on the facelifted City
- Electric Sunroof
- Cruise control
- Front chrome grill
- New front bumper
- Rear bumper with reflectors
- New tail lamps
- ORVMs with turn indicators
- 10 spoke alloy wheels on the top model (V) and 5 spoke alloy wheels on the lower models
- Chrome finished instrumental panel
- New Combimeter graphics (Blue)
- Enriched audio panel with chrome finished dials
- Chrome inside door handles
- Improved ground clearance 165mm (+5mm)
- Corporate model gets black interior and others beige
- Two new colours
Fuel Economy – Manual Transmission – 16.8kmpl, Automatic Transmission – 15.6kmpl
Here are some of the popular questions Honda management answered
Q. Any diesel engine plans in the immediate future?
Ans. NO
Q. Will the entertainment system be upgraded to match the one on the Honda Civic and Accord?
Ans. There are no such plans.
Q. How come the lowest model now costs approx. 50k less than the old City base model?
Ans. That is because of the introduction of the new model namely, the Corporate Edition.
Q. How was the initial response for the Brio?
Ans. Honda attracted 7,500 contracts within a couple of weeks of the launch of Brio.
Q. With the appreciation of Yen and the depreciation of Rupee, can we expect any price increase in the near future?
Ans. No, the Honda City is highly localized so that should not affect its price.
Q. What is the percentage of current localization of the Honda City?
Ans. Approx. 76%
Q. What is the percentage of the components the Honda City shares with the Honda Jazz?
Ans. 60%
Honda City facelift Image Slideshow
Can't view the slideshow above? Head over to the Honda City Facelift Images page to view the gallery
