Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
Honda Thailand has put up a teaser TV commercial for the new Honda City up on their website.
Nothing much is revealed except the new “Optimus Prime” front grille of the car, inspired by the Honda FCX Clarity.
Watch the video after the jump.
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UPDATE: 2009 Honda City: in-depth details and specifications. Click the linked text to find out you need to know about the upcoming new Honda City in Malaysia.
It’s confirmed – the car we’ve been seeing in China and India is indeed the new Honda City. Reader xstan pointed out this flickr page with photos of the new Honda City – fully uncovered including photos of the interior!
It’s not known at the moment which country these photos come from. As expected, the interior is no longer based on the one in the Honda Jazz but instead uses a design that is perhaps cheaper to cast and manufacture.
Look after the jump for full images and details!
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The same car that we saw on test in India and was presumed to be the new Honda City has now been spotted in China. These photos from sohu show the same car finished in a nice white paint. Unlike the previous shots, we can now see the tail lamps in full glory.
What is this mysterious car? If it is truly the new Honda City it will definitely sell like hot cakes, it looks really good! It will have a winning formula of good looks, above average fuel economy, a price of under RM100k (under 70K is a dream but maybe possible with 1.3 manual?), and a Honda badge!
If you look closely at the ceiling of the interior through the windows, there is something that looks roughly like a sunroof, but oddly shaped as its not very clear. I could be mistaken. Can you see what I am seeing? The City may be an economical model to us but in countries like India where it is high-end, it is available with a sunroof.
The current generation Honda City one of the Honda cars available in China and have also been used as Chinese police cars in the past.
Look after the jump for more shots of the car.
Related Posts:
New Honda City spotted on test in India
Artist’s impression of the new Honda City
Photoshopped Honda City found on Thai forums
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Reader Simon wrote in with a pointer to a thread on pantip.com that is discussing what is supposed to be a product shot of the new Honda City that is expected to be unveiled internationally sometime in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of the year.
The rendering looks similiar yet different from what Autocar India came up with. The Autocar India rendering (based on internal sources and spyshots) looked like a sedan version of the European Honda Civic and was much sleeker.
This image shows a rather high roofline, making it much more similiar to the current generation City. It is more proportionate though. The front end is inspired by the design of some more recent Hondas such as the Honda FCX Clarity.
What do you think of the new Honda City?
Click to enlarge
This month’s issue of Autocar India carries computer generated images of the fourth generation Honda City (code 2PS) that’s due to be launched soon. We previously saw images of the City on test in India. Autocar India claim a November 2008 launch, which should mean the new City will find its way onto our local showrooms by early 2009.
Honda R&D India was quoted to have issued a statement stating that the car is indeed a prototype belonging to Honda that is currently being tested to collect on road and climatic condition data, but declined to comment further on what it is or any possible launch dates.
The 2009 Honda City bears little resemblance to the second generation Honda Jazz, unlike the previous generation which looked like an awkward 3-box Jazz with a boot stuck on. This time the City looks more like a sedan version of the European market FK/FN chassis 5-door Honda Civic hatch, which coincidentally actually has much more in common with the Jazz than its FD chassis Civic sedan brother. Hint: chassis built to take i-DSI engines and a torsion beam rear suspension.
The current generation City we have here in our market has a wheelbase of 2450mm which was equal to the first generation Jazz’s 2450mm wheelbase. The second generation Jazz’s wheelbase has grown to 2500mm, but since Toyota’s rival Belta/Vios sedan’s wheelbase has grown to 2550mm, expect the City to have a longer wheelbase than the second generation Jazz and set new best-in-class interior space records following the footsteps of its Civic sibling. Something closer to the FK/FN Civic’s 2635mm wheelbase could be possible.
In the engine bay you will find that the i-DSI engine has been discontinued for the latest generation of Hondas, instead a 1.3 or 1.5 litre i-VTEC SOHC engine is offered, with power outputs of 100 PS and 120 PS respectively.
One more rear shot of the new City after the jump.
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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!
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