Honda City

Speedometer dials on a Honda City VTEC model.

In September 2005, a facelifted version of the City was launched in Thailand, in October 2005 in Malaysia, and in November 2005 in Indonesia. In Thailand, it is known as the City ZX. The most significant changes are a new exterior (new front grille, new headlamps, new fog lights, new taillights and bumpers). The front end has been extended forward by 65 mm (2.6 in) while the rear has been extended by 15 mm (0.6 in). The side mirror is electronically foldable. Both the i-DSI and VTEC trim levels have 15-inch alloy wheels as standard equipment. Interior are the changes are minor but it does include an armrest for the driver and additional map lights. The interior colour tone of the VTEC variant is now black.

The L-series engine remained but the intake manifold has been repositioned, resulting in a 6 °C drop in the intake air temperature,[10] the suspension has been upgraded as well.

Honda City in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Singapore and Malaysia uses the CVT gearbox for both i-DSI and VTEC variants. The CVT gearbox simulates a 7-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic style override using paddle shift buttons on the steering wheel itself.

The fourth generation was resurrected in China as the Everus S1, a new budget car brand for Honda models discontinued elsewhere.[11] The S1 stopped production in 2014.

Models

City/Fit Aria:

• GD6: 1.3 L L13A i-DSI Inline-four engine 2WD (Fit-Aria)
• GD7: 1.3 L L13A i-DSI Inline-four engine 4WD (Fit-Aria)
• GD8: 1.5 L L15A i-DSI/VTEC Inline-four engine 2WD (Fit-Aria)
• GD9: 1.5 L L15A i-DSI/VTEC Inline-four engine 4WD (Fit-Aria)

Everus S1 (pre-facelift)

Everus S1 (facelift)

In 2011, Chinese joint venture Guangqi Honda released a badge-engineered version of the fourth generation City under their new Everus brand, called the S1. With the release of Everus, Honda became the first foreign automaker to develop vehicles under a brand owned by its local joint venture automaker in China.

The S1 is the first Everus car available for sale. It shares most of the characteristics found in the fourth generation City. Dimensions and powertrains are identical as well with the S1 sporting the same 4,420 mm length and 1.3 L i-DSi or 1.5 L VTEC L-series petrol engine. The engines are paired to either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission.

The S1 concluded production in 2014, selling around 4,500 units in mainland China.

Facelifted Honda City

In September 2011, Honda Automobile (Thailand) Ltd revealed the revamped Honda City, with new front grille design, new front and rear bumpers, new taillamps design, new alloy wheels, eco driving indicator and dual front airbags to every model.[19] The revised model was launched in India in December 2011 including five variants – Corporate, E, S, V and V (Sunroof)[20] – and increased ground clearance to 165mm (previously 160mm) and also length increased by 20mm.

Honda Cars Philippines launched the facelift version of the City in early 2012. It has a redesigned front grille, front and rear bumper and new alloy wheels for the 1.5 E variant, blue illumination gauge and silver accent air conditioning switch. In 2013, a new designed alloy wheels for both 1.3 and 1.5 variants and a color of the City has been replaced Habanero Red has been replaced with Carnelian Red for the City. A Modulo version is available in both variants and in 2013 a Mugen version is available for the 1.5 variant only.

Honda Cars India, the Indian subsidiary of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. launched the facelifted fifth generation Honda City in India. The facelifted fifth generation Honda City was launched in India in seven variants. All variants are powered by the same 1.5 litre i-VTEC petrol engine which delivers 118 S of power with 146 Nm of maximum torque.[21] The diesel version of the fifth generation Honda City is powered by the 1.5-litre Earth Dreams i-DTEC turbodiesel engine from the Honda Amaze. The fifth generation Honda City diesel cars were manufactured very few and in hundreds and were given to some selected dealers in only some states of India. The fifth generation Honda City diesel was available on demand through the selected dealers and was launched in the starting days of January 2014, only a few days before the sixth generation Honda City launch in India.

Honda Atlas (Pakistan) resumed the production of Honda City on May 1, 2012 after it was halted due to supply chain disruption caused by massive flooding in Thailand. This resumption of production is marked by Honda as it comes with the range of facelifted Honda City under the banner of Honda City Aspire. In October 2014, Honda Atlas launched the facelifted Honda City, with new features including new taillights, revamped chrome grille, blinkers on side mirrors, rear window brake light, keyless entry system and new bumpers. The interior also received some changes. The speedometer dials were changed from orange to blue optitron. This generation of Honda City still remains in production in Pakistan with minor facelifts and feature updates with no sign of launching the newer generation. There is a chance that Honda may skip the sixth generation of City in Pakistan or launch it after the launch of the seventh generation in other markets.

Interior

The Honda City is produced in a number of locations around the world including India, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand.[22]

In July 2009, the City was for the first time to be built and marketed (in large numbers) outside Asia, with production commenced in Sumaré, Brazil. The car was first available for sale in the Brazilian market, with exports to Mexico and other markets in Latin America from September 2009.[23][24]

Since March 2011, with the opening of a new factory, the Honda City began to be manufactured in Argentina.[25] It is the first car built by Honda in Argentina (and the first Japanese passenger car made in Argentina) and will be exported to all the countries in South America alongside with the Citys built in the Brazilian Sumaré plant. As of June 2020, Pakistan is the only country where this model still remains in production and available with 1.3L and 1.5L engines.

The mid-life facelift for the sixth generation City was launched in Thailand on 12 January 2017.[28] The facelift includes visual and equipment updates such as LED headlamps with daytime running lights and LED tail lights, similar to those found on the Japanese version, the Honda Grace, while the revised chrome bar grille is similar to that of its bigger sibling, the Honda Civic. The facelift model was also subsequently launched in India on 14 February 2017, in Malaysia on 2 March 2017, in Indonesia on 16 March 2017 and in the Philippines on 22 May 2017. A new hybrid variant was also introduced, though only exclusive to Japan and Malaysia. It uses Honda's intelligent-Dual Clutch Drive Sport Hybrid system, paired with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. It is powered by a hybridised version of the 1.5-liter SOHC i-VTEC engine, making a combined output of 132 PS and 178 Nm, equivalent to that of a conventional 1.8L engine.

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  Honda City (Thailand; facelift)
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  Honda City (Thailand; facelift)

The City was introduced in Brazil as its second generation there in 2014, following the current Fit, both produced at the Sumaré plant. Only the 1.5-litre petrol engine is available, with either manual transmission or CVT. Direct injection is not equipped.

In China, the Honda City is manufactured by GAC-Honda, where there is another derived model, Honda Greiz, manufactured by Dongfeng Honda, with different body lines, front and rear fascias.[29] Another derivative called the Honda Gienia is the Honda City in liftback form. Production for the Greiz commenced in November 2015 while the Gienia commenced production in October 2016.

Trim levels for the Greiz are the 1.5L MT Classic, 1.5L CVT Classic, 1.5L CVT Comfort, 1.5L CVT Fashion and 1.5L CVT Luxury all shared with the Gienia. The L15B is the only engine option available paired with a 5-speed manual or CVT gearbox.

Apart from Dongfeng Honda and GAC-Honda, Honda Automobile (China) also manufactured the Honda City for exports to Mexico.[30]

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  Honda Greiz
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  Honda Greiz

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  Honda Gienia
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  Honda Gienia

The sixth generation City was unveiled in India on 25 November 2013 and is available with a choice of two engines; a new 1.5-litre Earth Dreams i-DTEC turbodiesel and a refined version of the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol. The new 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine, which also powers the Honda Amaze is certified to deliver a mileage of 26 km/l (ARAI), making the sixth generation City the most fuel efficient car in its segment.[31]

Honda launched the sixth generation City in India on 7 January 2014 at Rs 7.42 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).[32] The sixth generation City is available in five trim levels – E, S, SV, V and VX for both petrol and diesel. The petrol automatic is available in SV and VX trims.[33]

The City has always been popular in India, its sales doubled after it was launched with a diesel engine. In March 2015, the City became the fastest selling compact sedan to reach the 1 lakh (100,000) mark in just 15 months.[34]

From April 2015, the City is available with an additional trim: VX (O). It is positioned above the VX. It comes in White Orchid Pearl with touchscreen audio video navigation system.[35][36]

Over 10,000 orders were received in less than a month after the facelifted 2017 Honda City was released in mid-February 2017.[37] The City became India's best selling compact sedan for the first half of 2017.[38] In 2017, with the facelift, Honda launched a new top-of-the-line ZX trim in India which comes with 6 airbags, rear parking camera and Honda's digipad infotainment system. The facelifted City also comes with full LED headlamps and tail lamps and also a sunroof.

The City is offered and sold as Honda Grace (Japanese: ホンダ・グレース, Honda Gurēsu) in Japan, with both petrol and hybrid versions. Trim levels range from LX, Hybrid EX, Hybrid LX and Hybrid DX. Hybrid versions can be differentiated from its LED rear lamp clusters and on the Hybrid LX and Hybrid DX only, LED projector headlamps come as standard. The exterior dimensions are compliant with Japanese Government dimension regulations and the engine displacement incurs a nominal annual road tax obligation.[39]

In Malaysia, the sixth generation City was launched on 20 March 2014 available in four trim levels (all powered by 1.5L engine with CVT) are offered: S, S+, E and V.[40]

As of 2017, the City S+ trim was discontinued to make way for the City Hybrid, with Malaysia being only the second country after Japan to have the City Hybrid on sale. The locally-assembled hybrid uses Honda's intelligent-Dual Clutch Drive (i-DCD) Sport Hybrid system. It has an Atkinson cycle DOHC i-VTEC 1.5L engine with 110 PS and 134 Nm of torque, mated to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT). Combined output is 132ps and 178nm, equivalent to the performance of a conventional 1.8L engine. The hybrid was launched after an extensive two-year testing in Malaysia.[41]

In the Philippines, the sixth generation City was launched on 22 April 2014 and is available in 3 trim levels. The base 1.5 E is available with either manual transmission or CVT. The manual transmission receives a full wheel cover and a roof-mounted antenna, while the CVT has alloy wheels and a shark's fin antenna. The 1.5 VX and VX+ which is the top-of-the-line trim level of the City, is only available with CVT and has unique style alloy wheels, front fog lights, HDMI and AUX/USB connection, 7-inch touch screen panel, side mirror with signal turning lights, push start/stop engine and blue illumination gauge. The VX+ receives leather seats, VSA (vehicle stability assist) and HSA (hill start assist). A Modulo kit is available on the E CVT, VX and VX+. In early 2015, the E trim received navigation system adding the 1.5 E +navi trim. Through the year 2015, the City is one of the best selling subcompact vehicles in the Philippine market, so the company added a new variant to the City, the 1.5 E CVT Special Edition. The differences is that the Special Edition variant offers UV protection glass, air purifier and ion generator, keyless with panic button and speed sensing auto door lock. A new color has also added to the City, the Ruby Red Pearl color, the only color available for the Special Edition variant of the City are the Ruby Red Pearl, Taffeta White and Golden Brown Metallic.[42]

In May 2017, a facelifted version of the City debuted in the Philippines with added LED headlights and daytime running lights (DRLs).

The City is available from the local distributor in 2 trim levels: V and SV. It is also available as the Honda Grace through parallel import, in both petrol and hybrid versions.

Honda Taiwan first displayed the sixth generation City at the 2014 Taipei Auto Show in which Honda also exhibited its NSX concept sports car. The Taiwanese market City was formally announced on 4 March 2014 and went on sale in the second quarter of the same year. This was the first time the City had been on sale in Taiwan since 2002, when the third generation City ceased production.

The sixth generation City received its ASEAN début in Thailand on 23 January 2014.[43] The 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine, the only engine option for Thailand, has been tuned to comply with E85 fuel. The sixth generation City is sold in six trim levels (S MT, S CVT, V CVT, V+ CVT, SV CVT and SV+ CVT) ranging from 550,000 to 749,000 baht respectively. Unlike the Indian market City, certain Thai market variants are available with 2 airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Hill Start Assist. 6 airbags is only available in top option SV+ trim (SV Plus).[43]

The City, together with Honda CR-V, were Honda's top sellers in the country in 2014.[44]

In Thailand, the City is powered by a 1.0-litre VTEC Turbo petrol engine mated to a CVT. The smaller engine and the low emission output makes it the first City to qualify the Eco Car tax incentive.[47] It is available in four trim levels: S, V, SV and RS. It comes in six colors including new Ignite Red Metallic exclusively for the RS trim, Platinum White Pearl exclusively for the SV and RS trims, and Crystal Black Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic and Taffeta White for the S and V trims. Sales began in Thailand on 24 December 2019.[48]

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  2019 Honda City RS (Thailand)