A barely disguised car was spotted on the roads of Pune in India a few days ago, sporting a front grille that features cues from Honda’s latest front fascia styling book (ref: Honda FCX Clarity, Civic Euro hatch). Apparently the red plates on the car are similiar to those that Honda have used on their Indian test cars in the past, so there is a good possibility that this car is the due replacement for Honda’s compact Honda City sedan.
However, a little peek into the car’s interior showed a dashboard design that is very different from the second generation Honda Jazz, and the car has no triangular A-pillar window either. So this isn’t really a 100% guess. If this is indeed the new City, the car could be using a different dashboard design that is easier and thus cheaper to mould and produce, as compared to the new Jazz’s complicated dash design cues.
Expect an Indian and Thai launch soon, with a Malaysian launch to come some months later. View a few more photos after the jump.
FOLLOW UP UPDATE: Unmarked car confirmed to be new Honda City 2PS!
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
When I was checking the new Accord recently, the salesman who was showing me around told that City replacement is ready to roll out soon. The City design he told me is no longer of that new Jazz or Fit but more to the new Accord.
Oh no mannnnn.. Just book a city vtec. Do you have any interior spy shot and the spec of this new city? i wan to compare it to the current city before decide to cancel the booking….
Weird plate no. So long..
barely disguised car, fully disguised photo….
rear part is a bit weird though….
Can T. Chin work out some photoshop marvels so that we have a better idea of how it looks like
I have an odd feeling that the rear looks like 1st generation Toyota Vios!
I hope this car will not be the new City, if it is yes…. haiz… then it’s another brain-damage-design from Honda …looks damn ugly compared to the new Jazz
Aisey man…! IF this is the new City .. than i might be dissappointed.
The rear resemble the old Vios and the side abit like Elantra also (look at the small Elantra pic) .
I hope Honda will plonked in 1.6 i-vtec…
Nice rear,3 series sort of… But i think part of the tail lights are disguised.
This time it may look more of a sedan.
my1sthonda, thats what ppl sed when the honda city with knife design rolls out…but we cant say much after tht..the sales record tells everything.
this looks pretty good if compared to the current city… the shape looks nicer, seems like a smaller sized of the Prius…
if this really is going to b next city, damn its grow up much! look at the 1st pic! its much bigger than last gen
Looks like a lite version of the new accord. Imagine police want to write down no plate of car so long
Eeerr…
didn’t feel comfortable on the design la…
let’s see what engine they will be using….
1 more thing, even in light disguise, its more bold than previous city, last city is a bit more sissy when not spiced up..no offend dude, just my comment..spiced up city rocks
hopefully arrive Malaysia soon…..
cool watermark
Can it be Honda Airwave 1.5 ??
I believe the new Honda City will not be released not at least until mid next year, 2009 as the company would need to first launch the new Honda Jazz around Sept ’08.. If you had taken notice all the car launches from Honda, whether it is City, Accord, Civic, etc, the timeframe between them is at least 6 months apart. You can also refer to Wikipedia for the year and types of honda launches in Asia.
Good news is that, Honda Jazz and Honda City will share the same platform of engine mated with 5-speed auto or manual with further powered horsepower to 120HP.
It has some of the new Accord cues. And really a new platform from the new Jazz. If we look it at certain angles, looks like a Toyota somewhere.
Hmm…
There are a few points that i would like to highlight on this car. The front view does look like a Honda.
However, the back and the side profile of the car doesn’t look like Honda’s design cues. They look more like Toyota’s. The black portion just in front of the side mirrors, which curves up, looks like the one on the Auris. Then the rear part of the window above the rear door handle, which curves up, looks like a Lexus design. And for the back view, it looks somewhat like a Vios, and unlike the sharp, straight lines which Hondas are rather known for.
Just my 2 cents.
JiuN
The rear looks ugly… or is it because of the disguise. I believed the rear light design is similiar to the one on the Honda Insight/FCX Clarity. The front looks sharp & neat.
But hopefully, it will not be as odd-looking as the current City, especially from the side view. I used to called the current City as ‘Electric Iron on Wheels’. The rear C-pillar & bonnet design really spoil the City.
Wow…its really impressed!!!I could say, from side view and mascular front view of this new city, it will be much much much better compare to Vios!! side view until its rear, somehow more to BMWish…while, its rear lamp shape also similar to BMW 3series + Old vios…do you recognize that the front view is similar like 5doors Honda Civic UK? + Honda Airwave + Odyssey? If like that, no doubt, it will hit the market. Wondering the interior?? any pic??
the front facade seems like civic euro..ok.
the back..erm..sigh..dun like!
the more i look at it, the more i think its a toyota
Quite surprising that they have decided to make so many changes to what basically is a sedan version of the Jazz! The grill sure looks like the new Accord, sharp and neat but the rear reminds me of the previous Vios. I hope it’s just a disguise.
looks more flowing than the current one, and the rear could easily pass as a toyota
KL-ATR ,
U are rite, the current City is the sedan version of Jazz, but IMHO the upcoming City will not be based on Jazz anymore.
“T. Chin” sounds cool! Hahahaha…
the door profile i.e. the door curvature, looks more korean, aveo siblings? i’d prefer the current design over this one. it looks cheap.
if this is really new city, i’d be dissappointed. honda moves from extraordinary design (love or hate) to become a normal, average design, in which a fresh auto designer can come out with. even T.Chin can come up with better design i believe (promoting “T.Chin”, hehehe).
The front looks like the new Honda Freed. So Honda Freed ~ Honda Jazz.
Honda Jazz ~ Honda City !!!!
I heard that All New City will have bigger interior space..anybody got pic?? dearing All New City soon…
i thought i saw this car today in front of sunway college. it kinda resembles it, its actually looks similar to the honda airwave, if u looked from far
Just got my city i-dsi a couple of days ago. I remember my SA said new city will only come out in 2009. or maybe she was not telling the truth so that i would buy the car now?
I hope this isn’t the new city. If it is, I’d rather save some money and get a waja or persona.
one city = one waja/persona + mod + I.C.E + misc. you made waja/persona sounds like more expensive than city. as for me, hell yes i’ve been waiting for ages for this new city. i pray my current car dun break down on me yet b4 it arrives.
dear all city fans: forget about the watermarks picture here, try this website, haha, it might get your interest :
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/8229/nhcmj2.jpg
By the way, paultan, can i get your confirmation whether the above picture shows the real coming honda city? Any price increase or still the same? I am in the mid of deciding to buy new car or just wait for this city, getting car loan with old rate, so really want to know the news if can. Thanks.
Paul Tan says: yes confirmed, if Autocar India is right. i actually have a physical copy of the magazine and have read the story inside… Honda India actually confirmed it is an upcoming model of theirs (but obviously cannot admit it is the City in particular).
i guess vios going to be bye bye if the picture is real for coming city….
Thanks for the quick action, Paultan. Appreciate.
One more question: Will the interior be all black for cushion especially? Something like the vios, can choose 2 colors. I like black because easier to take care. Hehe, thinking of getting another brand but too bad, the interior all are in pitch color.
Hope you can comment. Thanks.
That remains to be seen. It is up to the Honda Malaysia product planning team to choose the interior colour. The current City has two interior colours – black for the VTEC and beige for the i-DSI. However with the current City there is no more i-DSi engine, only an i-VTEC SOHC engine.
anybody read honda’s statement of their target sale for next year… 35000 unit to be sold.. this is because they are confident this new city will boom…
oh my.. vios looks like a dugong.. the new city looks like a baboon! UGLY! come on honda! come up with a more original design.
nowadays all car desgners juz based on some benchmark..no money to do new one.but still much2 ok than vios.hopefully price almost same s b4
thats y i went for latio…vios=dugong, city=baboon
wow beutiful car
Beautiful and very fuel efficient.