New Honda City global unveiling on Nov 25

Honda Cars India has stopped production of the current Honda City to make way for the all-new City (codename: 2CT) which is set to make its global debut in New Delhi on November 25. Last month, Honda sold a mere 31 Citys to dealers, which indicates that the company has completely exhausted its stocks. To clear inventory, dealers are offering discounts of as much as Rs 40,000 on the outgoing Honda City.

Honda dealers have already started taking bookings for the new Honda City, with a deposit of around Rs 50,000, but deliveries are expected only in January next year.

The all-new Honda City has been kept closely under wraps and, despite the launch being just a few days away, no spy pictures have emerged. Details on the new car model are sketchy, but according to company sources, the new Honda City is expected to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. As with the current car, the new City will be built on the same platform as the upcoming new-generation Jazz, and both will be locally assembled. The outgoing City’s 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine is likely to be carried over with some minor tweaks to improve power and efficiency, and for the first time, the City will get a diesel engine – the same 1.5-litre i-DTEC motor that powers the popular Amaze, albeit with a bump up in power. Despite the improvements to the petrol engine, the diesel will undoubtedly be the more popular choice.

The car is also expected to grow marginally in size, and combined with the fantastic interior packaging efforts we’ve seen in Honda’s recent cars, the new City could very well set a new class benchmark for cabin space. The interiors will be upgraded too with a more upmarket ambience and more equipment – one of the current car’s shortcomings. Expect segment staples like automatic climate control and Bluetooth connectivity to be on the list.