Mr. Yoichiro Ueno, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd said, “We are extremely delighted and proud as we celebrate incredible two decades for Honda City in India, having created new benchmarks ever since its first launch in 1998. With a strong legacy of 4 generations, the Honda City has re-invented each time according to the needs and aspirations of customers.” “Each generation of Honda City has offered a new design, latest automotive technology and new-age infotainment experiences. We thank all our City customers for their patronage of the brand” he added.
Ever since its introduction, the Honda City has dominated its segment. The first generation came in as the most powerful sedan in its segment at the time and went on to sell close to 60,000 units in the first five years. The second generation City took a more practical approach and was fondly titled as the ‘Dolphin’ model. This version offered more space on board and came with a practical i-DSI engine in the lower variants, while the VTEC engine was offered on the top version. The second generation City sold close to 1, 80,000 units before being discontinued to make way for the third generation City in 2008. This model went back to a more sporty ‘arrow design’ theme and came with a powerful i-VTEC engine that won it a lot of fans across the country. The third generation City was an extremely popular model and when Honda finally brought its run to an end in 2013, it had sold close to 2,00,000 units. Since 2013, the fourth generation Honda City has been dominating the market. This is the most successful model and has sold over 2,76,095 units since it was launched. The fourth generation City also ushered in the first diesel engine for Honda in India which has added to its success.
1998: First Introduction of Honda City in India; First Honda model to be sold in India; Two engine options – 1.3L and 1.5L in Petrol
2000: VTEC engine introduced in Honda City
2003: Second generation of Honda City launched in India; New engine introduced– 1.5L i-DSI; New family car benchmark in India – Spacious, comfortable, fuel efficient; Introduction of CVT variant – a first on an Indian car
2005: Launch of City ZX with new looks and new 1.5L VTEC engine
2007: 10th anniversary edition of City with ABS launched
2008: Third Generation of Honda City launched in India; Engine – 1.5L i-VTEC introduced; Safety equipment – ABS and Airbags as standard offering
2011: First in Segment Sunroof introduced in new Honda City
2012: CNG ready version of Honda City introduced; Touch screen AVN introduced
2013: World Premiere of 4th Generation of Honda City in India
2014: Launch of 4th Gen City in India – Most successful Honda City till date; Engine options – 1.5L i-VTEC petrol and 1.5L i-DTEC diesel; First time introduction of Diesel engine in Honda City; Introduction of new generation CVT offering more fuel economy than manual variant
2017: Facelift version of 4th Gen Honda City launched; Achieves cumulative sales of 7 lakh Honda City in India
The question that has gained a lot of traction online is about the future of the Honda City. Is the City under threat? While Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have brought in great competition in the form of the Ciaz and new Verna, the Honda City has managed to hold its own against them. Customers have shown a strong level of loyalty to the brand and Honda is finding new markets for their products. In fact, the 4th generation City has made great inroads into Tier 3 markets as well. Honda has been quick to update the City with new variants and facelifts. A 20 year run for a nameplate is an achievement that has to be recognised and the following that the City has is unparalleled by any other sedan brand in this segment, however we have reason to believe that now is the time for an all-new Honda City
As for the 5th generation version, we can only speculate at this point in time. However, the one thing that we hope for is that when Honda does eventually roll out the 5th generation City, it gets the soul of the 1st generation one and combines that in a package that is sleek, sporty and tech savvy!