A sophisticated and sparkling hybrid variant of City called Grace introduced in Japan

The all new Honda City became an overnight hit, since its arrival in early 2014; it is among the prime profit contributors of Honda India in 2014 November, enabling it to clock 64% gains. Now a hybrid variant of the model is unveiled in Japan, with the name tag ‘Grace’, how exciting would it be to drive a hybrid model of Honda City called Grace?

Grace is engineered with innovative hybrid technology, and is equipped with the company’s novel Hybrid Sport i-DCD one cylinder engine. There are two drive switches that power the City hybrid; one is the EV mode and the other, a conventional combustion engine. The car is engineered in a manner that the driver will have to start the vehicle in the full EV model and later switch to the combustion system.

Grace is fitted with an innovative 1.5 litre four cylinder petrol engine, also used in the all new City that emits fierce energies of 134Nm torque and 110PS power. The electric engine churns equal thrust of energies, and generates maximum 160Nm and 30PS torque and power energies. A combination of a potent electric and conventional petrol combustion engine should yield exemplary mileage figures, and the trend follows with Grace, the fuel efficient power from the combination of electric and petrol engine is 34.4kmpl, the maximum value, taking the lane conditions of US into consideration. The car is fitted with all wheel drive system as well, and yields admirable mileage powers of 29.4kmpl.

The design dynamics of Grace is not very different from the all new City, but one can spot few major differences. Honda has introduced upgrades to the design, to highlight the outline of a hybrid vehicle. The car is fitted with refreshed alloy wheels, and revised LED light package. The refreshed wheels are moulded into glossy diamond cut structures and run on low drag coefficient. The diamond cut wheels provide the additional glow to the overall picturesque nature of the vehicle, and the entire package is now more awe-inspiring than before.

Grace has hit Japanese shores, what about an Indian launch, and sources state that it is not yet imminent. Viewing the robust impact of the power of luxury cars in India, Grace is surely expected to overwhelm the crowd on a grand scale, grander than before contributed by the addition of a hybrid system. The new City is the biggest plush sedan in the country, and the expected price range in Japan is 19, 50,000 Yen which is Rs 10.16 lakh INR.

The demand for the new Honda City has been sky rocketing since inception, a few months ago, the request for the vehicle was so magnificent that Honda had to construction another production unit, to accommodate demand with supply. Grace is an all new City car inserted with a hybrid engine, and it is a pioneering initiative of the company to build a hybrid model of all new City. Let’s hope within a few days from now, news of an Indian launch will be mentioned.