The City sedan is the car which defines brand Honda here in India. And now, the 5th generation Honda City has started road testing on our soil. It is quite rare than a spyshot of a Honda car is spotted in our market, but given our important the City is to the brand; extensive road testing is justified. The all-new Honda City will be launched in 2020, and possibly at the Auto Expo or a few weeks ahead of that. When launched, it will fight it out with the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento. Of course, pricing for the top trims might move even higher, so expect an ex-showroom asking price of around INR 9 – 15 lakh.
The 2020 Honda City will come with an all-new BS VI compliant petrol engine. This naturally aspirated motor will be matched to a 6-speed manual and a CVT automatic gearbox. Honda is also expected to offer mild-hybrid technology similar to the Maruti Suzuki SHVS on the petrol variants for better efficiency and lower carbon footprint. However, the expensive iMMD hybrid option seen abroad is not likely to make it here. Honda might continue with the 1.5L diesel engine as well on the new City sedan, but more details on that are awaited as to how much investment might be needed to upgrade it to BS VI.
The 2020 Honda City sedan is expected to be larger in dimensions primarily to allow for more cabin space. At the moment, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is hands down the best-in-class when it comes to space on offer, and it even beats a few cars from a segment above.
There is barely anything visible in these spyshots of the 2020 Honda City, but you can expect dual-tone alloy wheels, full LED lights, sharkfin antenna, sunroof, healthy dose of chrome accents, full automatic climate control, leather upholstery, digital instrument cluster, start / stop button, touchscreen infotainment, rear AC vents, etc.
