Honda City e:HEV (hybrid) will now launch by next financial year as the brand has delayed the launch due to the pandemic
The fifth-gen Honda City is a handsome looking car. Launched last year, the C-segment saloon manages to put decent figures on the monthly sales tally. It is sold alongside the 4th-gen model of the sedan. There are two engine options available on the City, but the skyrocketing fuel prices demand more. Well, more powertrain options and more km to a litre is what we mean.
Thankfully, the brand is keen on launching the Honda City Hybrid in the Indian market. It was initially slated to go on sale in India by this year itself. Thanks to the pesty pathogen, the launch is now delayed, and it is pushed to sometime next year. As per Honda India, the hybrid iteration of their saloon will only go on sale by the next financial year.
In other words, the Honda City Hybrid will reach the showroom floors only after the first quarter of 2022. The City Hybrid will use a 98 Bhp 1.5L Atkinson cycle petrol motor, along with an integrated starter generation that comes paired to a 109 Bhp electric motor. The latter also puts out a peak torque of 253 Nm.
The hybrid setup is named – e:HEV. Unlike the mild-hybrid units seen on other C-segment saloons, this is a more complicated system. It can certainly run in a pure EV mode. The City Hybrid gets a massive battery pack that powers the electric motor. The 1500cc motor is majorly used as a generator here to juice up the lithium-ion battery pack.
But the engine can power the front wheels when needed. The hybrid setup comes paired to a CVT unit. It boasts of a mileage figure of 27.78 kmpl, which is higher than the ARAI-claimed figure of 17.8 kmpl of Honda City’s petrol variant.
In the Indian market, the Honda City retails at a starting price of Rs. 10.99 lakh, ex-showroom. However, expect the City Hybrid to have a price premium of roughly Rs. 3 lakh over its petrol counterpart. Once launched in India, it will be the most fuel-efficient product in its segment.