Honda has officially announced that it will launch an all-new hybrid car in the country in 2021. It is most likely to be the hybrid version of the City sedan, which is already on sale in Thailand. A new report claims that the new Honda City hybrid will go on sale in India in mid-2021, before Diwali.
City Hybrid Specs
To be positioned above the standard model, the new City hybrid is expected to be priced around Rs 15 lakh to Rs 18 lakh. The new model will receive a petrol-electric hybrid option. The hybrid unit comprises of a 98bhp, 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine paired with an integrated starter generation (ISG) and a second electric motor offering 109bhp. This set-up is also offered with the new-gen Jazz in the global markets.
3 Driving Modes
The new Honda City e:HEV will offer 3 driving modes – Electric Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive. In Electric Drive mode, the new City completely runs on electric power during low-speed cruising. In the Hybrid Drive mode, the petrol engine and electric motor combine for optimum power and economy. On higher-speed, the vehicle will ride on the petrol engine.
The new City with hybrid powertrain will be the most fuel efficient in its category. It is likely to offer a fuel efficiency of over 27kmpl. Similar to the Thai-spec City, the new model could be branded as the City RS Hybrid. This model comes fitted with steering wheel paddles, a 7-inch instrument console, an electronic parking brake, etc. It also gets Honda Sensing suite of active safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane centering assist and automatic high-beam. However, these features are unlikely to be offered on the India-spec model. The sedan will also get Honda’s LaneWatch blind spot camera.
The new Honda City RS comes with honeycomb grille, a carbon fibre-look front bumper lip and styling fog lamp enclosure, a rear diffuser, a black boot lid spoiler and new 16-inch dual-tone alloys. It also gets faux leather upholstery with contrasting red stitching and alloy pedals.
