Honda starts production of City Hybrid

Honda’s latest product for the Indian market is the City Hybrid or City e:HEV. This is the first mass-market hybrid sedan that will be available in our country. The City e:HEV is expected to launch early next month. Honda has now started production of the new sedan at its Rajasthan facility.

Mr. Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Limited said, “It’s a delight to share that we are commencing the production of the City e:HEV from our Tapukara facility in the state of Rajasthan. The milestone also marks our commitment to bring advanced technologies for Indian customers and beginning of our electrification journey in India. As a company, we have always been aligned with the Government of India’s vision of Make in India as well as bringing environmentally friendly technologies. We have received an overwhelming response to the City e: HEV since its unveil earlier this month. The trust and passion exuberated by our customers highlight their preference for a strong hybrid from Honda. Honda City e:HEV is a very practical and stress free solution for our customers who are seeking electrified mobility.”

The City will be available in two variants. There will be V and ZX. The V variant’s feature list will be similar to the regular City whereas the ZX variant will come with a lot of equipment that is not offered in the regular City.

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City Hybrid gets ADAS or Advanced Driver Aids System which the manufacturer likes to call “Honda Sensing Technology”. The system includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto High Beam Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Front Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning System and Lane Keep Assist.

Other features that will be on the City e:HEV will be LaneWatch Camera, Hill Start Assist, Emergency Stop Signal, up to 6 airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, Vehicle Stability Control, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and much more. Moreover, the City Hybrid will come with 37 connected car features and smartwatch compatibility.

The biggest change is in the powertrain. It is still a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine but it now runs an Atkinson cycle. It produces 97 bhp of max power and 127 Nm of peak torque. Then there are two electric motors. The first one acts as an integrated starter motor which is also called ISG. This electric motor is integrated with the engine. Then there is the second electric motor which actually drives the front wheels. The combined power output stands at 126 PS and the peak torque output is at 253 Nm. The engine is mated to an e-CVT automatic transmission.

The additional battery pack has been placed in the boot space which means that City Hybrid will have a smaller boot space than the regular City. Because of this, it will weigh 110 kgs more. To enhance the stopping power, Honda has added rear disc brakes.

There are some cosmetic changes done to the City e:HEV also. It gets a different front grille, blue surround around the Honda logo, different fog lamp surrounds, rear diffuser, trunk-lip spoiler and different diamond-cut alloy wheels.

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