According to unconfimred reports the all new Honda City is coming to India in August. The City has been the bread and butter model for Honda as far as India is concerned. The current City was launched way back in 2002 with a subsequent facelift in 2005 called the City ZX. The current City has lost some ground to high VFM Maruti’s SX4 while the recently launched refreshed Fiesta with its diesel options is also eating away sales. Hyundai’s Verna is steadily gaining momentum as well with its powerful diesel engine, so the launch cannot come at a better time than right now.

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The new City has grown up styling and dare I say looks more European now. Gone is the quirky, futuristic love-me or hate-me styling. The huge front grille and aggresive bumper instantly get your attention while the BMM 5-Series esque tail lamps at the back lend a very upmarket look to the rear. The new City will come with a choice of vtech engines, yes the current iDSI engine deemed underpowered by some would no longer be available. The new 1.5 litre i-Vtec engine is expected to deliver more than 110 bhp which should provide enough ooomph even with the added weight since the car looks to have gained some cms in dimensions too.

The new City with its upmarket styling and powerful engine options should make it another hit for Honda in India and will also help Honda to get back some of the market share it has lost to the other players in the market. Honda is getting increasingly serious about India which is reflected by their recent launches in the Indian market in the form of the all new Honda Accord which has come to India right after its international launch, the more affordable Civic and the hybrid version and the all new CRV. The only ‘achilles heel’ remains the lack of a diesel engine option but lets see how market reponds to that. Over to you Honda!