Honda City has been in India for over two decades. The sedan, which is currently in its fourth generation, has always been favoured for its styling and spacious cabin. Now, the automaker is planning to introduce the City hybrid with 1.5L petrol engine and efficient Atkinson Cycle in the country. The model will deliver fuel economy of over 27kmpl.
In the coming months, the sedan will face tough rivalry from the upcoming 4 new models including Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Vitrus, Toyota Belta and the new-generation Hyundai Verna. Here’re launch and key details of the upcoming Honda City rivals.
Skoda Slavia
Skoda Slavia is all set to launch in the first week of March 2022. The model will start arriving at showrooms from 10th February and its test drives will begin by late February. Based on the MQB-A0 IN platform, the sedan will come with the 115bhp, 1.0L TSI petrol and 150bhp, 1.5L TSI petrol engine options. There will be three trims levels, namely, Active, Ambition and Style. In India, the Slavia will come as a replacement to the Rapid sedan.
Toyota Belta
Toyota Belta will be the re-badged version the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz that’s reported to launch in coming months. A few cosmetic changes will be made to sedan including Toyota’s badge and grille. Its interior layout and features will be similar to the Ciaz. For power, the Belta will use the same 1.5L, 4-cylinder petrol engine boosted with the mild hybrid technology. It delivers a claimed power of 103bhp and 138Nm of torque. Both manual and automatic gearboxes will be on offer.
Volkswagen Virtus
Volkswagen’s upcoming Virtus mid-size sedan will make its world debut in early March 2022. The model will underpin MQB-A0 IN platform and share several its components and engine setup with the Skoda Slavia. Though, both sedans will look different. In India, the Volkswagen Virtus will be introduced as a replacement to the Vento. It will be offered with the 1.0L TSI petrol (115bhp/175Nm) and 1.5L TSI petrol (150bhp/250Nm) engine options. There will be three gearboxes on offer – a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed torque convertor automatic (for the 1.0L TSI variants only) and a 7-speed DSG automatic (for the 1.5L TSI variants only).
New-Gen Hyundai Verna
The new-generation Hyundai Verna is reported to debut sometime next year. The new model will be first launched in its domestic market (South Korea), followed by other nations. Its India launch timeline is yet to be revealed. The 2023 Hyundai Verna will carry the brand’s new Sensuous Sportiness design language along with significant cosmetic changes. The sedan will also witness noticeable dimensional changes. The new Verna is likely to come with the same 1.5L petrol and turbo diesel engines.
