City sedan is one of the best-selling vehicles of Honda Cars India. Launched many years back, this model has struck a superb chord with customers in the country. One thing that sets this model apart from others is the fact that it has done well despite the lack of a diesel version. However, in recent times, due to rising competition, sales of this sedan have seen a slight dip. Many experts felt that the lack of a diesel variant was the main reason for this drop in sales. Honda, as per reports, understood the importance of a diesel version of this vehicle in the Indian market. After a lot of research and hard work, Honda finally made the decision to develop a diesel version. However, there are several aspects to the introduction of City diesel that have propelled the Japanese car maker.
The idea did not surface to merely create a version with a diesel engine fitted under its hood. Instead, it was more oriented towards incorporating state-of-the-art innovations to come up with a better model. The research work continued and rumours about diesel version also surfaced, creating tremendous buzz. As the time passed, customers and car enthusiasts became more anxious about the upcoming City diesel. Anticipation and anxiousness transitioned into restlessness as soon as the auto maker made it public that next generation City would be unveiled in the auto market soon. The unveiling date was fixed as 25th November 2013.
On 25th November 2013, Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL) finally unveiled the all-new 4th generation City at an event in India. Curtains were drawn completely as company officials declared the launch of 4th generation of the all-new City with diesel and petrol in 2014. Pre-launch bookings have also started for the new Honda City. The first look at the new City marked the introduction of 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine, which is highly fuel efficient.
The 4th generation City has been developed at Honda Research & Development centre that is located in Tochigi, Japan. Incidentally, the development phase started only after the result of extensive surveys conducted in India and other potential markets. Inputs from people suggesting their driving needs and lifestyles were taken, recorded and sent to the research and development team. All inclusive, it can be said that this exercise followed by Honda was extremely exhaustive.
One of the recent press releases rightly concludes proceedings by stating, “The development of all-new Honda City adopts Honda’s new ‘global operation reform’ of concurrent development and implementation of locally optimized design drawings to realize the best vehicle specifications with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions for our customers. The grand concept for the all-new City is No 1 mid-size sedan impressing the whole world by being an Advanced Cool Stunner. "Stunner" is at the core of this concept and reflects sophistication and vigour while in motion and a striking presence when standing still.”
The development of 4th generation City, from the onset, focussed on three important aspects, namely Advanced Sporty Design, best comfort and best fuel efficiency. Advanced sporty design included Honda’s new concept 'Exciting H Design' for this newly unveiled vehicle. Best comfort was taken into into account and further evolved Honda's 'man maximum machine minimum' concept while best fuel efficiency simply saw adoption of best powertrains.
City diesel features 1.5-litre four-cylinder DOHC i-DTEC engine that is based on Honda’s latest 'Earth Dreams Technology'. It is expected to offer excellent driving performance along with high fuel efficiency to attract the attention of buyers in the country.
Hironori Kanayama, President and Chief Executive Officer, Honda Cars India Ltd, rightfully said, “With the unveiling of the all new City, we enter a new era of Honda’s dominance in premium cars. City brand has been the face of Honda in India, enjoying strong leadership and popularity in its segment ever since its launch. India has been the focus market for Honda City, thus it was befitting to have the global unveiling of the All New Honda City in India.”
