Honda City e:HEV hybrid sedan’s India launch in May

Japanese auto major Honda Cars has unveiled the Honda City e:hybrid electric vehicle (e:HEV) sedan in India and the car is all set to roll out in May this year.

This will be the City’s first full-fledged hybrid system in India. Earlier in 2016, the Honda Accord had a hybrid model but it did not gather much steam in the country then.

Honda City e:hybrid electric vehicle --
Source: Honda.

The standard Honda City comes in three trims in India — V, VX and the ZX. However, the City e:HEV will be available only in the top ZX variant. Bookings for the new City have already started.

 

Only the fifth-generation City will have the hybrid tech while the fourth-generation cars — which still sell in India — will come in the petrol version only.

 

Newly-appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Honda Cars India Takuya Tsumura said the new model marks the beginning of the company’s journey into new-age electrified cars in the country.

 

Globally, Honda is upbeat on rolling out 30 electric vehicle (EV) models by 2030, with a production volume of a whopping two million units. The auto major aims to pump in around $40 billion over the next decade into the EV segment.

The Honda City e:HEV will come in three drive modes — electric, hybrid and petrol — which can be changed through a rotary knob. The hybrid nature of the City e:HEV has made it more fuel efficient, saving almost 40 per cent fuel at 26.5 km per litre. 

The e:HEV also has updated disc brakes in all the corners. It will come with the same 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine from the standard City.

The combined power output will be 124 bhp while the system is capable of 253 Nm of peak torque. Of this, 127 Nm is generated by the petrol engine.

However, this time, the petrol mill will have an electric motor propelled by a lithium-ion battery pack integrated in its boot. The boot space has been reduced to an extent to fit the battery pack.

There is 410 litres of luggage space in the Honda City e:HEV, and this is 96 litres less than the standard Honda City that comes with 506 litres of boot space.

 

The new car also wears an identical look compared to the standard City so far as design goes and the cabin is also similar.

 

Inside, the tachometer doesn’t exist any more and the new City comes with a fresh hybrid meter that shows when the car is operating on electric power or petrol motor or hybrid mode.

 

The City e:HEV also comes with electric parking brakes along with an auto-hold system as well as ambient lighting. The new Honda City has an upgraded safety — with features like lane-change assist, pedestrian alert and adaptive cruise control. 

 

The new City has a high-performance front camera with a wide angle and far-reaching detection system to scan the road and alert the driver. This will minimise risk of accidents and also help prevent a collision or reduce its severity.

 

With the City e:HEV hybrid sedan set to launch in May, Honda seems to be testing the Indian waters before it goes full throttle with its electric range of cars.