Honda City facelift to arrive in showrooms on March 2

We have already reported that Honda is working on a mid-lifecycle update for the City sedan in India. Now our dealer sources tell us that the City facelift will be available in showrooms from March 2, with test drives slated to begin a day later. The prices for the facelift are also expected to be announced around the same time.

1. City facelift test drives to begin from March 3
2. City e:HEV set to get new entry-level variants
3. Diesel engine will be discontinued from the line-up

Honda City facelift: design changes, more features

Like most Honda mid-lifecycle updates, changes on the City facelift will likely be limited to just the soft plastic parts. It’s expected to get revised front and rear bumpers, along with a new design for the alloy wheels. Our dealer sources have also confirmed that the City will be upgraded with more features, although details on this will be available closer to the launch. Honda is also expected to reshuffle the variant line-up of the City.

Honda City facelift: petrol, hybrid powertrains

With the facelift, the City will go on to be a petrol-only sedan as the company will be pulling the plug on its diesel engines in India due to the upcoming Real Driving Emissions (RDE) norms. The petrol and the hybrid powertrains, meanwhile, are expected to be upgraded to meet the RDE norms as well as be E20 fuel (20 percent ethanol blend) compliant.

The City facelift is, therefore, expected to come with the 121hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine, mated to either a 6-speed manual or CVT automatic gearboxes. There will also be the 126hp, Atkinson Cycle 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain that comes mated to an e-CVT transmission.

Honda City e:HEV to get new entry-level trims

Honda currently offers the e:HEV powertrain only on the top-spec, fully loaded ZX trim. Priced at Rs 19.89 lakh (ex-showroom), it’s also considerably more expensive than the standard City petrol that currently tops out at Rs 15.62 lakh (ex-showroom). We are told that Honda will introduce a more affordable trim of the City e:HEV, thus, decreasing the gap between the petrol and the hybrid.

Honda City facelift: expected price and rivals 

Our dealer sources have hinted that the City facelift will be priced about a lakh more than the current model. For reference, the City petrol is currently priced between Rs 11.87 lakh-15.62 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Upon launch, the City will continue to rival the likes of the Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Virtus, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna. The Verna is also due to receive a generation change and its bookings have already opened. The Ciaz, too, was recently updated with new safety features in a bid to keep it fresh amidst the competition.