The 2020 Honda City BS6 sedan was launched at a starting price of Rs 10.90 lakh ex-showroom
Japanese automaker Honda Cars India launched its ‘5th Gen Honda City‘ earlier this week. The C-segment sedan is available in both BS6 petrol and diesel formats with a CVT option in the former. Ex-showroom prices start at Rs 10.90 lakh for the base ‘V’ petrol variant and go up to Rs 14.67 lakh for the range-topping ‘ZX’ diesel model.
The 2020 Honda City is a total revamp from its previous generation. Interestingly, Honda Car India is selling both the fifth- and fourth-gen City (in BS6 format) alongside for a brief period. The move is to attract a wider customer base.
Honda Car India initially planned to launch the all-new City in March 2020. However, it was around the same time when India went into total COVID-19 lockdown. The sedan was supposed to launch only in BS6 petrol format then.
2020 Honda City BS6 Exports
The new Honda City will make its way to global markets where the company has never shipped vehicles before. This is part of Honda Car India’s commitment to the government’s ‘Make In India’ vision. Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director (Sales & Marketing) at Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL), states that exports will commence later this year to new markets including left-hand-drive regions in West Asia. India would be the base for Honda City exports thanks to the cost effectiveness of the brand’s manufacturing facilities at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh and Tapukara, Rajasthan.
Ambitious Export Plans
HCIL plans to sell a total of 90,000 units (domestic and export) in the current fiscal. An increase in production capacity by around 8-10% is in the plans too. This is the first time that Honda Car India is making LHD products for exports. Alongside four-wheelers, the company will also sell various automotive parts and components in foreign markets with an annual turnover of Rs 1,500-2,000 crore.
Increased Localisation
In addition to its export strategies, HCIL aims for increased localization. At present, the Honda Civic D-segment sedan and CR-V 7-seater crossover SUV are sold as CKD products while the Jazz, WR-V, Amaze and City enjoy 90 per cent localisation. Like every other OEM operating in India, Honda has taken all safety measures against COVID-19 at its manufacturing facilities.
2020 Honda City Specs
As mentioned before, the 2020 Honda City comes in two formats: 119bhp/145Nm 1.5-litre i-VTEC NA petrol and 99bhp/200Nm 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel. The petrol model is offered with either a 6-speed manual (BS4 model had a 5-speed) or 7-step CVT. On the other hand, the diesel-powered Honda City gets only a 6-speed manual transmission.
