The Honda City hatchback has finally been revealed and will go on sale in Thailand first. The hatchback version of the City has been reintroduced after a very long time. We tell you more.
- City hatchback will be sold with multiple engine options globally
- Is longer and wider than the third-gen Jazz
- Will be sold in multiple ASEAN and other emerging markets
Honda City hatchback: How's it different from the City sedan?
The new Honda City hatchback is based on the same platform as the latest-gen City sedan and shares almost all of its body panels, right until the C-pillar, beyond which it gets a well incorporated rear hatch.
The rear also features wide, horizontally placed tail-lights, a shorter overhang and a more rounded appearance, all of which look well proportioned. It gets a stylish rear bumper design with vertically placed faux air vents, along with a contrast black rear faux diffuser.
The images released by Honda show the City hatchback in the sportier RS Turbo guise, with sporty bits like a blacked-out grille and dark-chrome finish for the 16-inch alloy wheels, similar to the City RS Turbo sedan sold in Thailand. On the inside, the City hatchback shares the same interior as the sedan without any changes as such. The hatchback, however, gets Honda's innovative rear seats that can split 60:40, fold down to increase boot space, fold up to increase vertical space and sit flush with the front seats to create a bed; this adds a lot of practicality.
Honda City hatchback size
The City hatchback is 4,349mm long, 1,748mm wide and 1,488mm tall and has a 2,589mm long wheelbase. The hatchback is 200mm shorter than the Thailand-spec City sedan but is just as wide and tall. However, when compared to the third-gen Honda Jazz, the City hatchback is 314mm longer, 53mm wider and has a 59mm longer wheelbase.
Honda City hatchback engine and powertrain
The City hatchback has been introduced with a 1.0-liter turbo-petrol engine that delivers 122hp and is mated to a CVT gearbox. Honda will also offer the model with other powertrain options, depending on markets.
Honda City hatchback India launch
Honda will sell the new City hatchback in many markets like South America and in countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia where it will also replace the third-gen Jazz, which is still on sale in India as well.
Honda has already introduced the fourth-gen Jazz in markets like Japan, Europe and even North America. However, the new Jazz is built on a far more expensive platform, which makes it difficult for Honda to price the model competitively in some markets, including India.
So, while Honda will replace the third-gen Jazz with the City hatchback in some markets, for now it will not be the case for India, where the carmaker will continue to sell the third-gen Jazz.
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
Viraaj Bhatnagar
