Honda is set to announce prices for the new City facelift soon, and we’ve got our hands on fresh details about the new City’s variants, features and paint shade options. The new City will go on sale in early March, with bookings expected to commence on the same day.

Dealer sources tell us that the booking amount for the Honda City facelift will be Rs 21,000 if booked at Honda outlets and Rs 5,000 if booked online. Prices for the new Honda City are expected to be around Rs 50,000-1 lakh higher than the outgoing model. A handful of Honda India dealers have started receiving units of the City facelift already.

1. Honda City petrol to get Honda Sensing package
2. City hybrid gets an entry-level V variant
3. New Obsidian blue exterior paint added to line-up

Honda City facelift: 9 variants across the range

The Honda City facelift will see an addition of a new entry-level SV trim, which will only be available with a manual gearbox. The new City, in petrol guise, will be available in four trims – SV, V, VX and ZX – that get a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. Additionally, V, VX and ZX trims also get a CVT gearbox.

The City petrol will get ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and autonomous emergency braking. Higher trims of the City facelift are expected to get six airbags, ORVM-mounted lane-watch cameras, a multi-angle rear-view camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TMPS), vehicle stability assist, hill-start assist and ISOFIX-compatible rear seats.

The City facelift will come only with an RDE-compliant 121hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine as Honda has discontinued the diesel engine on the City and Amaze. Honda's India line-up will be petrol and petrol-hybrid only, going forward.

Honda City hybrid: new V trim incoming

The Honda City hybrid, which went on sale last year, will also get a new V trim that will sit below the top-spec City Hybrid ZX.

The City hybrid will continue to get the unique Atkinson Cycle 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine that’s mated to two electric motors – one acts as a generator and the other as means of propulsion. The City e:HEV sports a claimed fuel economy figure of 26.5kpl and 1,000km range. The standard petrol-powered City ZX CVT delivers a claimed 18.4kpl.

With the powertrain mated to an eCVT transmission and a battery pack in the boot, the City hybrid sedan prioritises electric-only mode in start/stop conditions. Overall, the engine operates at a peak efficiency of 2,000rpm, and produces 126hp and 253Nm of torque.

The new Honda SUV, which was seen testing in India recently, is expected to get the same petrol and petrol-hybrid powertrains as the City sedan.

Honda City facelift: rivals in India

The new City is expected to face strong competition not just from existing rivals like the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia, but also the all-new Hyundai Verna that will go on sale on March 21.

Will the City facelift continue to give a tough fight to its rivals? Let us know in the comments section.