The Honda City offered strong ambitious value for buyers and driving enthusiasts with an engine that boasted over 100hp in the late 1990s. Honda says the city has been a key business pillar for the company since its inception and has overall recorded more than 9 lakhs of units sold in India and its export markets.
The company also mentions in a press release that India is the largest and most important market for the Honda City sedan, which currently accounts for more than 28% of car sales in Honda’s Asia Oceania region (Jan-Aug 2022 ). HCIL launched Honda City e: HEV in 2022, which marked the start of Honda’s electrification journey to the country.
Takuya Tsumura, President and CEO of Honda Cars India Limited, said: “As the model turns 25, 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. The Honda City Silver Jubilee celebrations are being organized through our Pan-Indian dealer network of 330 facilities in 242 cities and we are taking the opportunity to interact with our consumers and Honda City fans. ”
Honda City was developed as an Asian model, which became a global brand and is now sold in 80 countries. Cumulative sales of the City series are currently 4.5 million units globally.
1st GENERATION: 1998 – 2003
The Honda City first generation model was sold in India between 1998 and 2003 and was based on the sixth generation Honda Civic (FERIO). The 16-valve Hyper VTEC engine producing 106hp of peak power in the first City generation was one of the fastest cars of its time and immediately hit the market.
2nd GENERATION: 2003 – 2008
The second-generation Honda City was conceptualized on the Honda Jazz platform, designed with the fuel tank at the center of the car known as the “Central Tank Arrangement”. The second generation model was more spacious and fuel efficient. It came with a new 1.5-liter i-DSI engine that offered greater fuel economy. But the second generation couldn’t create the same buzz as the first generation.
Click here for Honda City generations in the photos
3rd GENERATION: 2008 – 2013
However, with the third generation, Honda has given us back the charm of the City. It was launched with a completely new look. The radical style, Arrow-Shot has been very well accepted by customers. The all-new 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine has become the biggest selling point. It also offered the best safety standard in its segment. With Double front airbag and ABS with standard EBD in all variants: in 2008 it was far ahead of its time, 11 years before the regulation came into force for all cars equipped with it.
4th GENERATION: 2014 – 2020
With the 4th generation City, launched in 2014, Honda introduced the 1.5-liter i-DTEC diesel engine along with the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine. A new generation CVT was also introduced in this city, which offers better fuel efficiency than the manual variant. This generation offered more drivetrain options, innovative equipment and a more spacious interior than ever.
5th GENERATION: from 2020 onwards
The fifth generation of the Honda City was introduced in July 2020. The car made a huge leap forward in series connected car services and became India’s first connected car with Alexa remote functionality. The latest edition also gets a powerful hybrid system in the City e: HEV.
