Honda has unveiled the next-generation City today and the unveiling had happened in New Delhi. This is the first time that a City has been unveiled in India than Thailand. This is the fourth-generation City for India and this will be the first one to come plonked with a diesel engine. The first generation made its way into India in 1998 and since then it has been one of the best sellers for Honda and also the segment-leader until the petrol prices shot up and the sales of diesel cars increased.
Honda targets to sell 600,000 units in FY13-14 in Asia and Oceania region, with India being one of the significant contributors. This is one reason why it is getting a world-debut in India and at the moment the City is sold in 55 markets. India is the lead country for the development of the product and hence we our one of the most important markets for this new sedan.
The new City will be launched in January and Honda will launch four more products in the coming two years. The Jazz, Mobilio and City will be launched next year and in 2015, we will witness the launch of the new Vezel, which will Honda's compact SUV for the Indian car market. All these models will also be launched with a diesel engine.
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The first-generation was revolutionary for the Indian market with its VTEC engine, while the second generation's cab forward design and i-VTEC engine's mileage won more hearts and the third generation carried forward the success for Honda. The fourth-generation will get the 1.5-litre i-DTEC, making it the first City to get a diesel engine. Honda claims that the City diesel will be the most fuel-efficient diesel sedan in its segment. Even the 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine has been upgraded. The fuel efficiency has been increased with lower co-efficient friction and Lo-Hi VTEC technology. The other reasons for this increase in efficiency is the reduced weight of the new City.
The new City is based on Honda's H-Design and it follows the Man Maximum, Machine Minimum philosophy. The front is low and sleek with the same cab forward design and the rear end has a nice chrome strip with the H badge at the centre. Honda also claims that the new City has the most interior space in its segment. The interior space is more than the previous generation as the wheelbase has been increased by 50mm, despite the same length as that of the same City.
The new City gets the new LCD infotainment with reverse parking camera and it also gets eight-speakers. There is a rear AC vent and it has four charging points. There is also the information display on the instrumental cluster, it also gets the sunroof, cruise control, touch panel for air-con. So, it seems Honda has left no stone unturned for the City and we will soon come to know how much will it cost and how good it is to drive as well. The launch of the new City will be launched in January 2014.
Source : CarDekho - Honda City - Honda unveils the next-generation City diesel in India