Honda Cars India Ltd, leading manufacturer of passenger cars in India, today kick-started its celebrations to commemorate 25 successful years of Honda City in India. Honda City started its journey in India in 1998, and now in its fifth generation avatar, has remained the longest running mainstream model in the Indian automotive history. The Honda City is an extremely strong aspirational brand for achievers and enjoys huge brand loyalty amongst its customers. Synonymous with the brand Honda, the City has been a key pillar of business for HCIL since the inception of the company, and has cumulatively provided pride and joy of driving to more than 9 lakh customers in India and its export markets. India is the largest and most important market for Honda City sedan, currently accounting for over 28% of the car’s sales in Honda’s Asia Oceania region (Jan-Aug’22). In line with the Honda’s global vision to realize carbon neutrality and zero collision fatalities by 2050, HCIL launched the Honda City e:HEV in 2022, which marked the beginning of Honda’s electrification journey in India.
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Speaking about the milestone achievement for Honda City in India, Mr Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Limited said,
“This is a landmark year for Honda brand in India. Our most successful model Honda City is among the most loved car brands in India. As the model turns 25 years young, we express our gratitude to all our customers and partners who have supported us over the years and invite everyone to continue to be with us on the journey ahead. Honda City’s Silver Jubilee celebrations are being organized across our pan-India dealer network of 330 facilities in 242 cities and we are taking this opportunity to engage with our consumers and Honda City fans. A communication campaign around this special milestone will also be promoted extensively on digital and social mediums.” “Further to the launch of the 5th generation City in 2020, we also introduced Honda City e:HEV this year as India’s first mainstream model with Strong Hybrid Electric Technology. This model will play a key role in Honda’s electrified vehicle plans in the country going forward,”
he added.
Honda City was developed as an Asian model, which became a global brand and is now sold in 80 countries. The cumulative sales of City series are currently 4.5 Mn units globally. The City’s strong popularity is testament to the pioneering work of Honda engineers over the last several decades, as each generation of Honda City reinvented itself according to the evolving needs and aspirations of the consumers setting new benchmarks in design, technology, performance, safety, space and comfort.
Each Honda is created with exacting attention to detail, innovation in design and unmatched engineering, making Honda one of the most admired, respected and cherished automobile brands world over. The Honda City bears the same pedigree and provides a fine combination of Fun to Drive, Comfort, Stability, Unparalleled performance and a host of safety technologies that are hallmark of every Honda automobile.
With its five cutting-edge generations leading the way in terms of design, technology, safety & comfort, Honda City has carved a name for itself in the Indian automobile industry for 25 years. Aspirants and enthusiasts alike have praised the Honda City since its debut in 1998.
1ST GENERATION: 1998 – 2003
Honda City’s first-generation model was sold in India between 1998 -2003 and was based on sixth-generation Honda Civic (FERIO). The VTEC Hyper 16 valve engine that produced a 106hp of peak power in first gen City was one of the fastest machines of its time and it instantly struck a right chord both among the general consumers and racing enthusiasts.
2ND GENERATION: 2003 – 2008
The second-generation Honda City was conceptualized on the Honda Jazz platform which was designed with fuel-tank being at the center of the car known as ‘Centre tank-layout.’ Due to this innovation, the second-generation model was more spacious, comfortable and fuel-efficient. It also got a new 1.5L i-DSI or “Intelligent Dual & Sequential Ignition” engine that offered ease of driving, enhanced comfort levels and high fuel economy. The second-generation City also saw the introduction of a CVT variant – a first for any car in India. It was also equipped with ABS – a novelty during that time which made Honda City far ahead from its competitors in the same segment.
3RD GENERATION: 2008 – 2013
The third generation was launched with a completely new look. The radical, Arrow-Shot styling was accepted very well by the customers. The all-new 1.5L i-VTEC engine became the biggest selling point. It also offered the best standard safety in its segment. With Dual Front Airbags and ABS with EBD as standard in all variants – it was far ahead of its times in the year 2008, 11 years before regulation came in for all cars to be equipped with the same. With this generation, Honda provided yet another compelling product that offered more power, comfort, refinement, efficiency while sporting good looks.
4TH GENERATION: 2014 – 2020
With the 4th-gen City, launched in 2014, Honda introduced the 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine along with the 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine. A new generation CVT was also introduced in this City, offering better fuel efficiency than the manual variant. This generation offered more powertrain options, innovative equipment and more spacious interiors than ever before.
5TH GENERATION: 2020 onwards
The fifth generation of the Honda City was introduced in July 2020. The new Generation City is outfitted with tremendous improvement making it a segment leader, with its superior technology, comfort & design. The car took a huge leap in Connected Car Services as standard offering and became India’s First Connected Car with Alexa Remote Capability. The newest edition to the aspirational brand in terms of technology is the City e:HEV, India’s first Supreme Hybrid Electric model, which is poised to revolutionize the Indian sedan market.
Highlights
- Longest running mainstream model in the Indian automotive history
- Iconic and largest selling mid-size sedan in India
- Strong legacy of 5 generations since its first introduction in 1998
- Cumulative sales of more than 9 lakh units in domestic and export market
- Latest introduction of Honda City e:HEV sets a technology precedent in electrified era of mobility in India with Strong Hybrid Electric Technology alongside advanced safety of Honda Sensing features.
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