New Honda City with diesel power unveiled

The new Honda City diesel has been unveiled for the global markets at a function in Delhi today. This is the fourth generation in the City range and the second car from the Japanese automaker with an oil burner for India. It will be launched for the Indian market in 2014 January and is expected to be joined by the new version of the Jazz premium hatchback during the 2014 Auto Expo.

The new Honda City diesel has a sporty and aggressive design – it also has a longer wheelbase (despite having the same length) and hence offers more cabin space compared to the current model. It is based on the ‘Exciting H Design’ philosophy, which will be seen on the rest of their new compact car line-up. The front design has lots of vertical creases to channelize air; the sides also have creases reducing the overall aerodynamic drag.

The new Honda City is being offered with two sets of engines and gearbox options. The diesel engine is the 1.5-litre iDTEC unit from the Amaze sedan that produces 98bhp and 200Nm of torque while the petrol is the retuned version of the 1.5-litre iVTEC unit which produces 116bhp and 146Nm of torque. Both engines can be had with a five-speed manual and the petrol also gets an option of a five-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.  Honda claims that the new City has the highest ARAI efficiency numbers in the segment. 

The features list includes music system with 5-inch LCD display that supports Bluetooth, a rear-parking camera and it also has eight speakers.  Other features include steering-mounted audio controls, rear AC vents, four charging points, sunroof, touch-screen AC panel, start/stop function and cruise control.

The new Honda City will play a significant part in its global strategy as part of its new compact car range. It will go on sale in India in January next year and the prices will be announced closer to the launch date. When launched, it will compete with the Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Renault Scala, Ford Fiesta and others. Honda has confirmed that the production capacity will be increased for the launch of the new car.