The upcoming Honda City e:HEV will utilise the brand’s i-MMD hybrid technology, and we expect it to get ADAS as well
Honda City is a popular sedan in the Indian car market, and it is set to get a hybrid powertrain option very soon. The Japanese carmaker has confirmed that Honda City e:HEV will be officially unveiled in India on April 14, 2022, and it will likely go on sale next month.
Honda City e:HEV is already available in a few international markets, and we expect the technical specifications of the India-spec version to not be different from that. It is powered by a 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-4 petrol engine, which belts out 98 PS and 127 Nm of peak power and torque, respectively.
There are two electric motors on board: one acts as an integrated starter generator, and the other one is for driving the wheels via an eCVT. The propelling electric motor is rated at 109 PS and 253 Nm. This hybrid powertrain has three driving modes – electric-only (EV mode), hybrid, and petrol-only (engine mode).
In fully electric mode, the sedan can be driven around on battery power alone, as the name suggests, but only for a short range. In hybrid mode, the petrol engine essentially acts as a generator to charge the lithium-ion battery, which then sends power to the electric motor. This driving mode is designed to squeeze out the maximum fuel efficiency from the engine.
In petrol-only mode, the engine drives the wheels itself, using a lock-up clutch to connect to the eCVT directly. This driving mode is designed for maximum performance. Thanks to the hybrid powertrain, Honda City e:HEV has brilliant fuel economy numbers; the Thai-spec model delivers around 27.8 kmpl, and we expect similar figures from the Indian version.
In international markets, the Honda Sensing safety suite is also offered on City e:HEV, and it should be available on the India-spec version too. It includes features like collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation system with lane departure warning, lane keep assist, auto high beam, etc.
Honda City e:HEV is expected to be significantly more expensive than the regular City, which currently retails for Rs. 11.23 lakh to Rs. 15.18 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).