The Honda City could very well be the most popular sedan in India. The City has been known for its space, reliability and more importantly, the I-VTEC petrol engine. The naturally aspirated motor is an enthusiast favourite and loved by everyone due to its high revving nature. However, due to the rise of turbo petrol engines in the Indian market, the 1.5-litre VTEC may fall short in terms of performance and efficiency. To solve this, Honda India is planning to launch the City Hybrid in mid 2022.
Honda City hybrid: engine
The Honda City hybrid will come with Honda’s i-MMD hybrid technology which is also used by the other Honda cars in their global portfolio. The i-MMD technology is similar to the e:HEV technology which the new generation Jazz uses. It comprises two electric motors mated to an internal combustion engine. The 1.5 litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated Atkinson Cycle petrol engine produces 98hp and 127nm of torque. The first electric motor is integrated into the engine and acts as an integrated starter generator(ISG). The second motor sends power to the wheels. It produces 109hp and 253 nm of torque and the power is sent to the front wheels via a single fixed ratio gearbox. The hybrid setup is also likely to enable three drive modes – one where just the electric motors are used, one where just the internal combustion engine runs (a lock-up clutch sends power to the wheels directly), and a third which allows for a combination of both. The City hybrid will be more efficient than the standard 1.5 litre version.
Honda City: a quick recap
The all-New 5th Generation Honda City is the longest and widest sedan in its segment. The newly introduced 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC engine with VTC in petrol version and a 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine offers brisk performance and good fuel efficiency. The 5th Generation City is a connected car with Alexa remote capability and is equipped with a next-generation Honda Connect with telematics control unit as a standard offering across all grades with 5-year free subscription and over 32 connected features. The newly designed platform is equivalent to ASEAN N-CAP 5-star rating. The City comes with a host of features like full LED headlamps, Z-shaped wrap-around LED Tail lamp, 17.7 cm HD full-colour TFT meter with G-meter, lane watch camera, vehicle stability assist (VSA) with Agile Handling Assist (AHA) etc.