Honda’s Electrified City Will Break Cover In India On April 14

• Hybrid setup comprises a 109PS dual-motor electric powertrain and a 98PS 1.5-litre petrol engine giving assistance.

• 30kmpl of fuel efficiency expected.

• Likely to get sportier cosmetics with the ADAS safety suite being the major feature addition.

• Expect a price premium of around Rs 2.5 lakh over the standard City.

Honda Cars India has been preparing to introduce the City e:HEV to the country and now we’re one step closer to it, as the hybrid sedan will break cover on April 14. With that, expect the greener City variant to go on sale in May.

Considering its a cleaner City, let’s talk about what makes it special over its petrol-only counterpart. It combines a 98PS 1.5-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, here’s the twist– the ICE motor acts as a generator and with the electric motors doing the heavy duty, making 109PS/253Nm. 

Basically, it can be driven in pure EV power, with the internal combustion engine giving it some assistance. Of course, it should also be able to be driven as a pure ICE model as well. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a CVT. As for fuel efficiency, it is expected to return around 30kmpl, 7kmpl more than the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz mild-hybrid AT. 

Aside from hybrid propulsion, we might get a sportier look in the form of aggressive bumpers, a honeycomb front grille and a boot lid spoiler inspired by the RS trim which is offered in markets like Thailand and Malaysia. The big upgrade might be the ADAS suite of safety assists such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic high beam, which would make it the only sedan in its segment to get it. 

With this launch, the Honda City hybrid will be the first proper hybrid car in its segment. Expect this variant to have a price premium of around Rs 2.5 lakh over the petrol-only City that retails from Rs 11.23 lakh to Rs 15.18 lakh (ex-showroom pan-India).