Honda has introduced the new City hatchback and the India-Bound City e:HEV in Thailand. The new Honda City e:HEV Sport hybrid model is the same version that is on sale in Malaysia. The new model is offered in a single full-spec RS variant, which is priced at 839,000 baht (Approx 20.42 lakh). This is significantly expensive over the petrol-powered RS variant, priced at 739,000 baht (around 17.99 lakh).
The petrol-powered RS variant is offered with a 1.0L VTEC turbo 3-cylinder engine instead of the 1.5L NA 4-cylinder unit. The City e:HEV comes equipped with Honda’s Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid system, which comprises of 108PS/253Nm electric motor that drives the wheels. It features a 1.5L Atkinson-cycle DOHC i-VTEC engine that produces 98PS between 5,600 to 6,400rpm and 127Nm between 4,500 and 5,000rpm, along with an integrated electric motor acting as a generator and a starter.
There is a single-speed transmission paired to the petrol engine, which provide direct drive at higher speeds. Honda claims that the new City Sport Hybrid will return an excellent fuel efficiency of 27.8kmpl on the NEDC cycle.
Compared to the petrol RS, the new Honda City RS hybrid gets additional features like 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. It also gets Honda’s LaneWatch blind spot camera.
In terms of styling, the Honda City e:HEV comes with sporty styling, featuring honeycomb grille, a carbon fibre-look front bumper lip and stylish fog-lamp enclosure, a rear diffuser, a black boot lid spoiler and 16-inch two-tone alloys. The City RS Hybrid also gets faux leather and suede upholstery with contrasting red stitching and alloy pedals.
The vehicle gets LED lighting system, keyless entry with remote engine start, push-button start, automatic AC, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a reverse camera, six airbags and stability control.
Honda has already confirmed that the City hybrid will be launched in our market in the first half of 2021. It is expected to be priced somewhere around Rs 18-20 lakh in India.
