What does Honda have in store with the new City? Replicating the success of one of India's most popular petrol saloons is not going to be easy.
Honda is ready to replace the venerable City on the 25th of November in India. In my books, the successor has a pretty tough task ahead of it, much like the Civic, and we all know how that went.
Even today, the City remains one of the best petrol saloons in that segment. The design doesn't look dated and it still is a great cabin to be in, albeit sparsely equipped. Apart from added equipment, a more supple ride and a more involving driving experience, I can't think of much else that I would want changed on the City. I certainly don’t want it to be bigger, and definitely do not want it to be more expensive.
But the lay of the land points to a different scenario. Considering that the Civic is virtually dead (for some time to come), a bigger and more expensive City could kill two birds with one stone.
The second protagonist is Honda's Amaze, which tops off at Rs 7.2 lakh and Rs 8.2 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) for the petrol and diesel versions, respectively. With that gap filled in by the Amaze, the City certainly won’t be getting more affordable. Honda’s pricing often comes across as arrogant, but with higher localisation, more platforms and engine sharing, they have the perfect opportunity to prove or disprove that notion.