Honda updates its best-selling models for 2022. The company has added features to the 4th Generation City while removing some from the 5th Gen City.
Honda Cars India has recently added a new iteration to its executive sedan line-up in the form of the City e:HEV hybrid. Continuing with its aggressive product strategy, the Japanese manufacturer has now introduced a few changes to its existing 4th and 5th gen models to keep competition in check. The City is Honda’s most successful car in India. Let’s take a closer look at the new changes made to the Honda City:
Changes on the 4th Generation Honda City:
The 4th Generation Honda City now gets a new 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system on its base SV trim. The unit is similar to the top-end V variant but is devoid of Honda’s latest software and features. Despite the feature addition, the price of the 4th Gen City remains unaffected.
Changes on the 5th Generation Honda City:
The carmaker has taken a bold decision to remove certain features from the vehicle to keep costs in check. Firstly, the chrome door handles inside the cabin are replaced by plain plastic handles finished in black. Additionally, the standard front and rear mudguards have been removed from the base V trim and the full-sized 16-inch spare alloy wheel has been exchanged with a 15-inch space saver on all trims.
Following the footsteps of a few other car manufacturers, Honda Cars India has removed the variant badging from all the models across its line-up in India. However, the recently launched City e:HEV is immune from this change.
The deletion of features in the 5th Generation Honda City clearly indicates heavy cost-cutting by the manufacturer, despite the regular price hike in April 2022. This scenario can be the repercussion of rising input costs or an attempt to increase the profit margins, although there is no confirmation from Honda’s end on this.
The Honda City rivals the likes of Skoda Slavia, Hyundai Verna and the upcoming Volkswagen Virtus in its segment.
