Honda could be planning to introduce the Honda City Hybrid and the HR-V Hybrid to India. Rumours suggest that the Honda City Hybrid will make its debut in mid-2021 followed by the HR-V Hybrid which is likely to come after the 2021 festive season. The Honda City e: HEV will take its position as the top-of-the-line City variant in the portfolio and the HR-V e: HEV which Honda markets as the Vezel in some countries will replace the void created by the discontinuation of the Honda CR-V and the Honda Civic. Both the vehicles are currently on sale in the international market and the Thailand-spec Honda City and HR-V could come to the Indian streets with minor revisions to the feature list to cope with the price-sensitive market.
Honda City e: HEV
Powering the Honda City e: HEV is a 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle DOHC i-VTEC petrol motor that produces 98 PS of power and 127 Nm of torque. The petrol-powered engine comes with twin electric motors one that powers the front axle and another that provides assistance to the engine similar to an Integrated Starter Generator. The electric motors are capable of developing 108 PS of power and 253 Nm of torque. The Honda City e: HEV features three driving modes that allow the car to traverse in Hybrid mode using power from both the petrol engine and electric motor, a full petrol mode and an electric mode that allows the car to run on only electric power for short distances.
Honda HR-V (Vezel) e: HEV
Powering the Honda HR-V is a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 203 Hp of power and 380 Nm of torque along with Honda’s e: HEV technology similar to the one on the Honda City e: HEV. The engine on the HR-V is likely to come with a CVT gearbox and the on-board battery will be powerful enough to allow the SUV to traverse in the city on electric power. The HR-V e: HEV will be available in Europe in late 2021 followed by ASEAN markets and its rumoured launch in the Indian market.
