5th generation Honda City SPIED testing in India ahead of 2020 Auto Expo unveil

The Honda City sedan, by far, has been the Japanese automaker’s most successful car in the Indian market. The City sedan has been a best seller across four generations and the fifth generation model is all set to arrive in 2020. Honda has begun testing the next-generation City sedan on Indian roads, and here are a bunch of spyshots of the new car. The 5th-gen Honda City will be launched in India next year, and is likely to be showcased at the 2020 Indian Auto Expo, scheduled for February next year. The new car is expected to get a totally fresh design, inside-out. It could get slightly larger, both on the outside and inside. A higher price tag is another bit that’s likely given the fact that Honda has been consistently taking the City up the ladder in terms of premium-ness and the feature set on offer.

Spyshots courtesy Team-BHP

The all-new Honda City will motor on with the 1.5 liter i-DTEC turbocharged diesel engine that will be made Bharat Stage (BS6) 6 emission norms compliant.  This engine is likely to be offered with 6 speed manual and CVT automatic gearbox options. It’ll be the first instance of Honda offering a automatic gearbox in a diesel powered City sedan.

A big change will come to the 1.5 liter petrol engine as well, which is tipped to be accompanied by a mild hybrid. The i-VTEC petrol engine is likely to become a lot more fuel efficient. 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearboxes are likely. The 2020 City will continue to square off against the likes of the Maruti Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna in the C-Segment sedan category. Pricing and variant details will be revealed closer to launch. Trial production is expected to commence by the end of 2020.

In design terms, the 2020 Honda City is expected to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The car is expected to be positioned as a logical upgrade to compact sedan owners. Even current owners of the City may be interested in upgrading to the new car, and this is another reason why Honda is likely to maintain a continuity in design terms.

Sure, it’ll be modern and in a sense, a mini-Civic, but don’t expect a dramatic change in the shape or the sleekness quotient of the car. LED headlamps, leather seats, a sunroof, automatic climate control, headlamps and wipers, a touchscreen infotainment system and a power adjustable driver’s seat are key features likely on the new car. As for safety, expect a full complement of 6 airbags, ABS, traction control, hill hold, speed alerts, a reverse parking camera and more to be on offer.