The all-new 2020MY 5th-gen Honda City BS6 will be available in both petrol and diesel formats, alongside several improvements
Honda Car India has started accepting bookings for its much-awaited 5th-gen 2020MY Honda City BS6 sedan. Booking can be made via the brand’s ‘Honda from Home’ online sales platform for a token amount of Rs 5,000. Meanwhile, dealership-level bookings can be confirmed only at Rs 21,000. The C-segment sedan is expected to launch in India in a matter of weeks. Honda also aims to launch the BS6-compliant WR-V facelift soon.
The Japanese-origin automaker initially planned to launch the all-new Honda City towards the end of March 2020. However, that was the same time when COVID-19 lockdown protocols were implemented in the country. Businesses across major domains were shut down as a result. However, as India entered ‘Lockdown 4.0’ in early March, automotive facilities (among other industries) in green and orange zones were allowed to operate in controlled environments. OEMs quickly got back to their product and sales strategies such as launches, reveals, announcements and prototype testing.
Compared to its BS4 counterpart, the new Honda City boasts of significant changes in terms of styling, equipment, safety and powertrain (improved petrol engine). Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President & Director (Marketing & Sales) of Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL) stated that the Honda City has always evolved according to customer aspirations and the 5th-gen City is no different. He added that the company is confident that it will receive immense customer support as the sedan goes on sales next month.
Being a popular name in the country’s desirable C-segment sedan category, the 2020MY Honda City packs a host of first-in-segment features. Examples include Alexa remote functionality, Honda Connect connectivity suite with Telematics Control Unit (TCU); 7.0-inch coloured MID unit (with even a G-meter), LaneWatch camera, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) + Agile Handling Assist (AHA) and more. The car is considerably lighter and has scored a 5-star safety rating in ASEAN NCAP crash tests.
As mentioned before, mechanical improvements extend to more than just compliance with BS6 emission norms. The 1.5-litre iVTEC four-cylinder petrol engine employs a DOHC setup with VTC (Variable Timing Control). As a result, the engine churns out 119bhp (2bhp more; noticeable gain being lighter) while mated to a 6-speed manual transmission rather than a 5-speed. Torque remains the same at 145Nm and a 7-step CVT (also improvised) would be optional.
On the other hand, the BS6-compliant 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel mill makes the same yet adequate 99bhp and 200Nm of torque. This is coupled only to a 6-speed manual.
