The new Honda City was unveiled in Bangkok, Thailand at Siam Paragon on the 10th of September 2008[3] followed by New Delhi, India on 25 September 2008[4]. and January 2009 in Pakistan and Indonesia. Honda also announced that the City will be offered in selected European countries with a 1.4 liter i-VTEC engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed i-SHIFT automated manual transmission.[5]
Guangzhou Honda will be developing a Honda Civic-sized sedan based on the Honda City chassis for the Chinese market. It will have a new name and a new shape but will use the City's underpinings and a 1.8 liter engine. This new car will compete against Dongfeng Honda's Civic and FAW Toyota's Corolla.[6]
The Thai market Honda City comes in three variants - S model, V Model and SV model. The Indonesian market was offered with two trims, the lower-spec S and the higher-spec E with reclining seats. Both are powered by a 1.5 engine putting out 120 bhp, and both are available in manual and automatic transmissions.
Honda launched the new City in the Philippines on the 7th of January 2009 with four variants; the 1.3 A with manual transmission, 1.3 S with manual and automatic transmissions and the 1.5 E, whose automatic gearbox is equipped with paddle shifts that promote more sporty driving enjoyment. All variants are now equipped with a SOHC, 16-valve i-VTEC engines, creating an all-i-VTEC roster for Honda Cars this year. As a result, drivers need not to worry about the lack of horsepower[7].
It will be launched in Malaysia on the 18th of December 2008.[8] It is scheduled to arrive in Singapore by the end of September. For the first time, the car will be built and sold outside Asia, being assembled in Argentina from 2009 on. Honda launched the new city in Pakistan on 31 January 2009. It being produced at Honda plant at Lahore and is available in two variants, 5 speed automatic transmission and 5 speed manual transmission. Both models have a 1.3 liter i-VTEC engine.
Guangzhou Honda will be selling the Honda City in China from the 12th of December 2008 onwards. Unlike other markets where the largest engine option is a 1.5 liter, the Chinese market Honda City will have an R18A 1.8 liter engine option.[9]
In February 2009, Honda Australia have released the Thai made City into the Australian market in two 1.5 litre variants (VTi and VTi-L). According to Honda Australia boss, Yasuhide Mizuno, the City will compete with other light sedans such as the Japanese made Toyota Yaris sedan, Korean made Holden Barina and the Thai made Nissan Tiida.[10] This will be the first City released in Australia since the 1980s. It will replace the market position used to be occupied by a former generation smaller-sized Civic.
This Honda City is also present in India with the engine of the 1.5 i-VTEC. This car is in two variants : namely S MT which is manual gear and the S AT which is the automatic version.
Honda city debacle in India. Currently the government is looking into the matter of Honda overpricing their cars under the MRTP act. A honda city in India lacks the most basic features including Alloys wheels and a cd changer offered by other cars in the segment with a price premium of INR 250000 over the competition. Additionally Honda Jazz, another car from the honda stable has eaten into its sedan sales.
[edit] Advertising
The music group Madness appeared in a Japanese TV ad campaign for the Honda City. The jingle was written by the entire band, which also appeared in the TV ad, doing its famous "nutty walk". The band apparently liked the jingle so much that they expanded it into a three minute pop song and released it as a b-side (B/W "Cardiac Arrest") that reached #14 in the UK charts. It was also included on Complete Madness, the band's best-selling greatest hits compilation from 1982. The track version of "In The City" replaced the repeated brand name "Honda Honda Honda..." with the more generic "doomba doomba doomba". The TV advertisements were included (though not listed) on the Divine Madness VHS video in 1992.
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