Honda has teased the upcoming Honda City e: HEV hybrid sedan. The 8-second teaser video shows the ‘e: HEV’ badging on the upcoming mid-size hybrid sedan. In addition to that, the teaser video also revealed the variant and the presence of a lip spoiler.
Speaking about the Honda City, the mid-size sedan is in its fifth generation in India and the model laid the foundation for what Honda cars stand for in the country. Apart from that, Honda City continues to be one of the best-selling model for the Japanese automaker.
Coming back to the upcoming hybrid version of the Honda City, the model is already on sale in a few Asian markets.
In terms of the design of the India-spec Honda City e: HEV, expect the model to come with revised styling with a hefty dose of chrome and a few additional standard features. In addition to these changes, the Honda City e: HEV may sport slightly revised front and rear bumpers with additional detailing.
Speaking about the features, we expect the upcoming Honda City e: HEV to come loaded with features. According to a few trusted sources, Honda may equip the upcoming Honda City e: HEV with Honda Sensing technology that comes with a whole list of active safety features such as auto high beam assist, emergency braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and front collision warning system.
In terms of powertrain, the Honda City e: HEV will feature a proper hybrid powertrain unlike ‘Hybrid’ cars in India equipped with a simpler ISG (Integrated Starter Generator). This powertrain on the upcoming Honda City e: HEV mid-size sedan consists of a 1.5-litre petrol engine, two electric motors and a larger battery pack.
Unlike the engine in the standard fifth-generation Honda City, the 1.5-litre petrol engine in the Honda City e: HEV is an Atkinson cycle internal combustion engine for better fuel efficiency. However, this engine produces 98bhp of peak power and 127Nm of peak torque.
Though these figures are a step below the standard model, thanks to the pair of electric motors of the hybrid powertrain, the electric motors alone produce 109bhp and 253Nm of torque.
Moreover, the upcoming Honda City e: HEV is likely to offer three modes, which include drive modes such as a complete EV mode, internal combustion mode, and a hybrid mode. thanks to this hybrid powertrain and Atkinson-cycle engine, we expect the fuel efficiency of the Honda City e: HEV to hover around the 20-22km/l ballpark in mixed driving cycle.
When launched, the Honda City e: HEV could be priced around Rs 20 lakh, ex-showroom in India. Apart from that, Honda has already confirmed the hybrid version of the Honda City will be unveiled on April 14, 2022.
However, with the launch of the Honda City e: HEV in India the sales of the City sedan is likely to go up by 10 per cent as the pricing of the sedan is almost equal to full-size sedans in India. However, the strategy to boost sales in India is going strong as Honda is also selling the 4th-generation City sedan alongside the 5th-generation Honda City sedan.
Now, with Honda confirming the launch of the new product, the company will launch the hybrid version of the 5th generation Honda City in India and this move is likely to boost the sales of Honda in India as it will attract more buyers to this interesting product.
Thoughts About Honda City e: HEV
The launch of the hybrid version of the Honda City e: HEV will help boost the image of the brand in the country. However, Honda must carefully price the sedan to gain more customers.
Keyword: 2022 Honda City Hybrid Teased: Most Fuel Efficient Mid-Size Sedan In India