Honda City awaits new facelift to come out stronger than ever

The Honda City has been the steadiest flagship for the Japanese automaker ever since its launch in the early 1980’s. It is time for another major facelift for the car which can be expected to launch in the market around the festive season of this year.

This C-segment sedan has seen many facelifts and minor tweaks in over 3 decades of its shelf life. It has put up a strong fight with different rivals like the Maruti Ciaz, the Skoda Rapid, the Hyundai Verna, and the Volkswagen Vento over the years. Neither the popularity of the car among the buyers, nor the Company’s enthusiasm regarding the model has diminished over the years.

On 22^nd January this year, the Company had launched a new all-black themed variant of the Honda City and it soon became a part of the main flagship. However, it is now time for the base model to undergo some changes so that the shelf life of the car may be further increased as it gets ready to take on the new sedans of this generation.

There has not been much news about the details of the facelift. Honda has been taking feedback from its City sedan customers and its other customers to figure out what is in demand in the present market. From the surveys so far it has been found that the current owners and potential buyers would like an improved NVH package along with a more powerful engine for the diesel variant.

As far as the cosmetic changes are concerned, reports say that there will be a redesigned bumper to give the car a refreshed look. The rear bumper too will be redesigned to fit the style of the front fascia. There will be a new alloy wheel design and a few new options for the exterior paint.

The interiors will remain the same mostly, with chances of a few upgrades to the technology. There will most probably be a 6.2-inch touchscreen system with automatic climate control. A premium audio system with 8 speakers is also on the cards. Apart from these there will be an electric sunroof, cruise control, and start/stop button for the engine. A 7-inch infotainment system might also be on the cards as a pleasant addition.

The new generation Honda City will be optimized to accommodate the latest safety features which come as standard across the medium to top trims for most cars and also as standard for the base trim of the best cars. The features will include ABS with EBD. There will be the rear parking sensor facility, and anti-theft alarm features. Also, there will be child safety lock, and smart card entry, day-night optimized rear view mirror, and impact beams for the front and sides.

The rivals for the 2016 Honda City will remain the current versions of the same old archenemies, the Hyundai Verna, the Skoda Rapid, and the Volkswagen Vento, apart from of course, the primary rival, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. However, looking at the sales figures of the rivals through the past months, there seems to be no competition at all in the segment for the City.