Cars News

2020 Honda City Turbo-Petrol RS Variant Could Come To India – Report

Published by
Kshitij Rawat

According to recent reports, Honda City RS is being considered for launch in India. It will be powered by a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine

The 2020 Honda City is set to be launched in India next week. This next-generation model will be available with two engine options – a 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated,  inline-4 petrol motor and a 1.5-litre, turbocharged, inline-4 diesel mill. Now, new reports suggest that Honda is considering another engine option for the Indian market – a 1.0-litre, turbocharged, inline-3 petrol unit.

The 2020 Honda City is already available in its turbo-petrol avatar in Thailand. Dubbed ‘City RS’, this variant is rated at a maximum power output of 122 PS and a peak torque figure 173 Nm. It comes with a single transmission choice, a seven-step CVT.

There are a few visual differences between the regular fifth-gen Honda City and its RS version. For starters, the latter gets blacked-out front grille and a sportier design for the bumper. It doesn’t get chrome accents on the door handles and the boot lid. It also gets larger, 15-inch alloy wheels.

Customised 2020 Honda City Turbo

Inside the cabin, the Honda City RS has an all-black interior, with sporty red accents all over. To enhance the sporty feels, you also get aluminium pedals. The Thai-spec City RS gets a traditional instrument cluster with physical dials and MID, whereas the Indian version gets a semi-digital cluster. Unlike the exterior, the interior gets a lot of chrome inserts.

Compared to the 1.5L petrol engine of new-generation City, the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol doesn’t have any power advantage, although there is a noticeable difference in peak torque output. Also, the turbo-petrol engine would be smaller and lighter, which would help improve performance and handling. The ‘RS’ version will also feature a stiffer suspension setup.

We would love to see the 2020 Honda City RS on Indian roads. Sadly, considering the track record of performance-oriented vehicles in the Indian market, it might not attract a decent buyership. Also, the new Honda City will be sold alongside the older generation model in India. Adding more variants so early might not be a smart choice. Also, Honda’s future decisions will be based on the sales success of its present models, so we’ll have to wait and watch how it turns out.

Published by
Kshitij Rawat