Honda Car India has postponed the launch of its 2020MY Honda City sedan (fifth-gen) due to COVID-19
A few months ago, we had shared a set of patent images of Honda’s upcoming City hatchback (based on the latest-gen City sedan). At the time, it was assumed that the hatchback would hit only ASEAN markets. But now, it has been revealed that the hatch would come in multiple markets including South America (especially Brazil), China, etc.
Launch in India is still not confirmed. Considering Honda decided not to launch the new gen Jazz in India (BS6 model coming soon), and recently revealed that Jazz diesel BS6 will not be launched – could it be possible that Honda India has plans to replace Jazz hatchback with some version of the City hatcback in the future?
On the other hand, India is still waiting for the 2020MY Honda City sedan (5th gen; 7th gen globally). The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has caused major confusions across the industry and as a result, Honda Car India had to postpone its launch from the initial timeline of March 2020. It will debut in a petrol format as the Japanese automaker is yet to update the old 1.5-litre DDiS mill to BS6 emission norms.
In China, Honda already sells the Gienia notchback (almost sedan-ish hatchback) which could be potentially replaced by the new City hatchback. Engine choices would most likely be a 1.0-litre turbo petrol three-cylinder (like the original sedan which debuted in Thailand) and 1.5-litre NA petrol four-cylinder. In terms of design, the front profile carries minimal changes compared to its base sedan counterpart.
Meanwhile, Brazilian automotive digital artist Kleber Silva has given his own twist to the 2021 Honda City hatchback as well as its sportier RS version. Either render was done over the regular 2020 Honda City sedan with fitting cosmetics to differentiate their focus. Unlike the proven Civic Type-R, the Honda City RS hatchback (if something of that sort becomes a reality) may not have serious performance-bias engineering underneath. Instead, it could just be a better-looking version of the regular model — like the 2020 Honda City sedan and its ‘RS Turbo’ variant.
In addition to the City sedan, Kleber has also borrowed multiple aesthetic components from the global-spec 2021 Honda Jazz (or Fit). Over the months, we have shared several renders by Kleber; latest being a possible Ford EcoSport successor.
Coming back to the much-awaited India-spec Honda City BS6, its 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol motor makes around 119bhp and 150Nm of torque. It will be available with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 7-step CVT. The 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine, in BS4 format, was good for 99bhp and 200Nm. It came only with a 6-speed manual. Interestingly, there are chances of Honda Car India selling the City’s new and old model (in BS6 format) alongside each other for a brief period.
