In line with its global vision of achieving carbon neutrality and zero traffic collision fatality, the Japanese vehicle maker, Honda Cars India, on Thursday unveiled its latest offering in its hybrid portfolio, The City e:HEV with advance driver aid functions.
Unlike the previously two introduced hybrids, the new model will be made in India at its Takakura facility in Rajasthan and will be available in the ZX Sensing trim only. Bookings for the vehicle have commenced from today at INR 21,000 while the launch is expected sometime in early May alongside the deliveries starting the same time around.
The new sedan comes with Honda’s latest hybrid technology, the e:HEV, featuring a 1.5L Atkinson cycle petrol engine aided by two self-charging electric motor, one acting as the generator while the other as the traction motor with an e-CVT gearbox. The combined power output of the powertrain stands at 126Ps and 253 Nm of torque while the company claims for a fuel efficiency of 26 kmpl.
The car comes with three driving modes including EV, Hybrid and Engine. In the EV mode the car is solely driven by the traction motor which takes power from the lithium ion battery placed under the boot floor. While in the hybrid mode, the petrol engine sends power to the generator which then puts its back to the traction motor to drive the motor. And in the engine mode, the car is solely driven by the petrol engine. Furthermore it also gets customisable regenerative braking aiding the car to put power back to the battery while braking.
The company said that the new sedan can run on EV power to up to 40 kmph while in medium to high speed situation the car will run on hybrid mode.
Moreover, putting special focus on safety, the car also gets the latest Honda Sensing technology. With this, the new City is offered with safety systems including Lane Keep Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation, Adaptive Cruise Control and Auto High Beam.
Besides it also comes with disc brakes on all four corners, electronic handbrake, automatic brake hold, lane watch cameras, multi view rear view camera, six airbags, hill start assist, deflation warning system, vehicle stability assist, emergency stop signal among others.
On the features side, it is quite similar to the non-hybrid counterpart with 8 inch infotainment screen and 7 inch TFT driver information cluster. However the City now gets a one touch sunroof control along with LED reading lamps, ambient light and while upholstery.
Furthermore, the company has also updated the Honda Connect app, which now get compatibility with iOS and android based smartwatches along with already existing integration with Alexa and OK Google.
Visually, the hybrid model of the sedan can be distinguished by the blue highlights for the Honda badge along with new designs for the front fog lamp housing, black painted diamond-cut alloy wheels, rear diffusor and a boot lip spoiler along with the e:HEV badge.
In terms of warranty, the company is offering the new sedan with a three year unlimited kilometers warranty while the lithium-ion battery gets an eight year or 1,60,000 Km standard warranty.
Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India, said, “It is an exciting moment for us as we begin our new age electrification journey in India with our flagship model, New City e:HEV. The Government of India lays emphasis on Make in India along with addressing the environmental and safety issues associated with mobility.
He added that the from now on very new offering from the brand in India with integrate the latest Honda Sensing technology in order to achieve its global goal of zero traffic collision fatality.
Furthermore, the company plans to achieve two thirds of its global sales through EVs and FCVs by 2030, while by 2040 it aims to completely transit to zero emission EVs and FCVs, Tsumura said.