Honda launched the new-generation 2020 Honda City in Thailand at the end of last year. A few weeks ago we also reported that the popular sedan is likely to come to India in three trim variants based on leaked images of a type approval document that was circulated on the internet. The car was also spied in India at the end of Calendar Year 2019 and was expected to be introduced in India mid-March but due to the outbreak of CoronoVirus Disease, the event has been postponed to a later date.
What was missing in the earlier reports was the safety quotient of the car and now the Thailand-spec 2020 Honda City has been crash-tested by the ASEAN NCAP and the midsize sedan has scored a full 5 stars for safety with a total overall score of 86.54 points.
In terms of adult occupant protection, the car scored 32.28 points out of 36.00 and achieved 5 stars showing good protection to the head & torso region, good protection to the femur (thigh) and feet and adequate protection to the tibia (shin) during a frontal impact for both the driver and passenger. Side impact also shows a good result for both the adult occupants. The vehicle’s cabin remained stable on the frontal offset test and could withstand further loadings.
The child occupant protection test was performed using two child dummies one representing an 18-month old child dummy and another a 3-year old child dummy both restrained using a Honda Baby & Kids rearward-facing child seats using ISOFIX and support leg. In the dynamic test assessment, the CRS system scored 24 points in the dynamic test, 9 points on the vehicle-based test and 11.2 points for CRS installation totalling 44.72 points out of 49.00, scoring a full 5 stars.
Safety assistance systems on the car also scored a total of 13.60 points out of 18.00, scoring 5 stars. The safety assist systems used for assessment were SBR (Seat Belt Reminders), EBA (Emergency Brake Assist), (ASAT) Advanced Safety Assist Technologies, Braking & Avoidance Systems such as ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and BST (Blind Spot Technology) which has been added in the ASEAN NCAP protocol.
The Honda City is expected to go on sale in India soon and the launch dates are expected to be revealed as soon as the heath situations normalise in the country. The 2020 Honda City is expected to be priced starting INR 10 lakhs and will compete with the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid.
