City drives Honda's growth

Honda has sold an impressive one lakh current-generation Citys in the span of a year and three months. This is the fastest any car in this class has reached this milestone. In comparison, Hyundai’s Verna, which was also widely popular when it was launched, had sold 70,000 units in its first 15 months in the market. And that’s with four engines on offer - a 1.4- and 1.6-litre diesel and petrol motors.

The City’s success, however, is down to a couple of reasons. The new City is very well equipped – a great petrol engine, a strong and efficient diesel motor, acres of room inside, and an interior that is well put together.

The City also has a legacy of success. For the new City, Honda has built on the strong points of the previous generation cars, and the final product takes them ahead, especially now with the availability of a diesel engine. In fact, the new car saw a sharp rise in sales compared to its predecessor, of which only 21,530 units were sold last year.

Another statistic is that in 2015, the Honda sold over 14,000 units of the City in the first two months; it's interesting to note that it's not clear if the City has peaked yet.

While the fortunes of the City are on the rise, other Honda models don’t seem to be doing so well. Of the 1,79,000 cars sold in 2014, 77,000 were Citys, and that is despite it going on sale only in January 2014. In fact, in March, 9,777 Citys sold made up almost 50 percent of the 22,696 cars sold in the month.