Honda City celebrates 25 years in India; Five generations of popularity

HCIL, since the inception of the company, has cumulatively sold more than 9 lakh units in India as well as through exports. India is the largest and most important market for Honda City sedan, currently accounting for over 28% of the car’s sales in Honda’s Asia Oceania region (Jan-Aug’22). The cumulative sales of City series are currently 4.5 million units globally. In line with the Honda’s global vision to realize carbon neutrality and zero collision fatalities by 2050, HCIL launched the Honda City e:HEV in 2022, which marked the beginning of Honda’s electrification journey in India.  

Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Limited said, “This is a landmark year for Honda brand in India. Our most successful model Honda City is among the most loved car brands in India. As the model turns 25 years young, we express our gratitude to all our customers and partners who have supported us over the years and invite everyone to continue to be with us on the journey ahead. Honda City’s Silver Jubilee celebrations are being organized across our pan-India dealer network of 330 facilities in 242 cities and we are taking this opportunity to engage with our consumers and Honda City fans. A communication campaign around this special milestone will also be promoted extensively on digital and social mediums.”

“Further to the launch of the 5th generation City in 2020, we also introduced Honda City e:HEV this year as India’s first mainstream model with Strong Hybrid Electric Technology. This model will play a key role in Honda’s electrified vehicle plans in the country going forward,” he added.

1ST GENERATION: 1998 - 2003

Honda City’s first-generation model was sold in India between 1998 -2003 and was based on sixth-generation Honda Civic (FERIO). The VTEC Hyper 16 valve engine that produced a 106hp of peak power in first gen City was one of the fastest machines of its time and it instantly struck a right chord both among the general consumers and racing enthusiasts. 

2ND GENERATION: 2003 - 2008

The second-generation Honda City was conceptualized on the Honda Jazz platform which was designed with fuel-tank being at the center of the car known as 'Centre tank-layout.' Due to this innovation, the second-generation model was more spacious, comfortable and fuel-efficient. It also got a new 1.5L i-DSI or “Intelligent Dual & Sequential Ignition” engine that offered ease of driving, enhanced comfort levels and high fuel economy. The second-generation City also saw the introduction of a CVT variant – a first for any car in India. It was also equipped with ABS - a novelty during that time which made Honda City far ahead from its competitors in the same segment. 

3RD GENERATION:2008 - 2013

The third generation was launched with a completely new look. The radical, Arrow-Shot styling was accepted very well by the customers. The all-new 1.5L i-VTEC engine became the biggest selling point. It also offered the best standard safety in its segment. With Dual Front Airbags and ABS with EBD as standard in all variants – it was far ahead of its times in the year 2008, 11 years before regulation came in for all cars to be equipped with the same. With this generation, Honda provided yet another compelling product that offered more power, comfort, refinement, efficiency while sporting good looks. 

4^TH GENERATION: 2014 - 2020

With the 4th-gen City, launched in 2014, Honda introduced the 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine along with the 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine. A new generation CVT was also introduced in this City, offering better fuel efficiency than the manual variant. This generation offered more powertrain options, innovative equipment and more spacious interiors than ever before.

5TH GENERATION: 2020 onwards

The fifth generation of the Honda City was introduced in July 2020. The new Generation City is outfitted with tremendous improvement making it a segment leader, with its superior technology, comfort & design. The car took a huge leap in Connected Car Services as standard offering and became India’s First Connected Car with Alexa Remote Capability. The newest edition to the aspirational brand in terms of technology is the City e:HEV, India’s first Supreme Hybrid Electric model, which is poised to revolutionize the Indian sedan market.