Honda, the global car manufacturing major, has had several major models to its credit. One of the most successful and popular ones has to be the Honda City that debuted worldwide in 1981.
The Indian launch came much later in 1998 when the first generation model of this much loved and much anticipated car became all the rage among potential buyers.
The Honda brand was high on brand recall, product reliability and general refinement of their cars. All those attributes were ones that would go down well in a market like India. Of course, the cost of the vehicle and the fact that their cars would not have all the bells and whistles are usually overlooked and the sales volumes confirmed this year on year.
Successive enhancements on the City have resulted in a generation shift and the current one is the fourth. This is one model that has thrived on the badge, the straight H as it is known, and the attendant advantages like low maintenance vehicles, smooth mechanics and their trademark styling.
From the 2012 model to the one now in 2014, one of the most important landmark feature that has got introduced is the diesel unit finally getting introduced. Traditionally, it has been their super smooth petrol engines that have powered the Honda cars. Despite the fact that Indians are conscious about the running costs and the continuous increase in petrol prices, Honda cars still have been loved and bought. But, it must be admitted that market share has been lost to other manufacturers like Maruti, Hyundai, Fiat and others who have taken the lead with diesel engines.
Just when everyone thought there wouldn’t be a diesel powered Honda City, in 2014, the mid sized sedan market got one, with the 1.5 i-DTEC unit. Now the fuel consumption figures are no longer in the early 10s but as high as 26 km to the litre! The petrol variants, with the 1.5 lire i-VTEC engine, also have seen a design makeover, with the exterior as well as the interior getting a more sophisticated look and finish. Not just that, the level of features available also has gone up significantly. Now, the City is no longer given a limited feature list and losing out on other brands on this count. Available are LCD screens on the dashboard, Bluetooth connectivity, a glossier interior all around and more stylish exteriors including the shark fin antenna. With a 510 litre boot, the functionality and the aesthetics seem to have blended. There is improved ride and handling too and we now have more driver orientation as well.
For a car that is as popular and accepted as the Honda City, the stage is always set.
