Next-gen Honda City could debut by the year-end - Report

02/02/2019 - 12:00 Honda City, Honda Yatharth Chauhan

The current Honda City was introduced in November 2013 and has started showing its age now. According to a new report from Headlightmag, the next-gen model could debut by the end of this year, with Thailand as the first market.

2020 Honda City Rendering — The current Honda City went on sale in India in January 2014 and received a mid-cycle update in February 2017. Headlightmag's rendering of the all-new model pictured.

Details on the aesthetics of the next-gen Honda City are scarce at the moment. That said, the design of the new model could have a similarity with those of the latest Honda Accord and Honda Insight. The company could even look up to the Honda Insight for some visual inspiration.

The next-gen Honda City should ride on an upgraded version of the current model’s platform. Reportedly, the Thai-spec model will be available with a 3-cylinder 1.0-litre turbocharged VTEC petrol engine. The new motor, which will have a 12-valve DOHC head, will feature both VTEC and Dual VTC variable valve systems. It will have a bore x stroke of 73.0 x 78.7 mm and should output a maximum torque of 200 Nm. Transmission options will include a 6-speed manual and a CVT unit. The low-displacement petrol motor will be compatible with E85 petrol-ethanol blend.

A hybrid variant with the i-MMD dual-motor powertrain comprising a 1.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors is also expected. As per a report that surfaced in September 2018, the Indian-spec model could be available with a mild-hybrid petrol engine. The full-hybrid setup is unlikely to make it to India owing to cost reasons and the unclarity on the government's policies for the hybrid vehicles.

Honda City Hybrid Launched in Malaysia — Like the current-gen model, the next generation Honda City will be available with a hybrid powerplant in most international markets. India, however, will receive a Ciaz-like micro-hybrid tech.

In India, the next-gen Honda City's launch is said to arrive in 2020. The launch could take place in the first quarter of the year, about six years after that of the current model.

Source- headlightmag.com