Honda Malaysia’s Facebook page has recently shared a picture of the Honda City Hybrid (a.k.a. the Honda Grace) along with some specifications of the car’s powertrain and fuel efficiency.
Wondering if this was some sort of a localised teaser, we gave Honda Malaysia a quick call to find out if there was any truth or possibility to this idea, but unfortunately, it looks like no such plans are in the pipeline.
Honda Malaysia has confirmed to paultan.org that the Honda City Hybrid will not be launched here any time soon, and that the company has no plans in sight to do so.
Contrastingly, we have been told otherwise in the past. In March 2014, Honda Malaysia’s CEO, Yoichiro Ueno confirmed that the City Hybrid would be sold in Malaysia as a locally-assembled (CKD) model, with the possibility of the car even being assembled at its No 2 Line in Pegoh.
Months after this, and with no developments to speak of, a Honda City Hybrid was spied by a reader in December 2014. The car, wearing trade plates, was seen driving on the road in Petaling Jaya.
We understand that while the City Hybrid may no longer be considered for our market, Honda Malaysia did at some point undertake feasibility studies for the model, but it appears that the idea has now been canned altogether.
To give you a bit of a recap as to what the car is, the Honda Grace, as it is known as in Japan, is a hybrid model that is identical in almost every way to the Honda City we know here – apart from its powertrain, of course.
The only noticeable exterior giveaways include a blue tinged chrome trim on the front grille and LED headlamps and tail lights – in Japan, the car also gets a small boot lid spoiler, but that isn’t apparent on the car spied above.
In the cabin, nearly every detail is shared with the Honda City, apart from the instrument cluster which is similar to that of the Jazz Hybrid’s single central speedometer with two colour display screens on each side.
Powering the City Hybrid is Honda’s Sport Hybrid i-DCD (Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive) one-motor hybrid system that also resides in the latest Jazz hybrid.
There’s a 110 PS/134 Nm 1.5 litre i-VTEC Atkinson cycle petrol engine and a 29.5 PS/160 Nm electric motor that powers the Grace. As the name suggests, Honda’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is present here.
In the front-wheel drive model, fuel consumption for the Honda Grace is rated at 34.4 km per litre based on Japan’s JC08 test cycle. On the four-wheel drive version of the car, it is rated for 29.4 km per litre. Honda claims that this is the most fuel-efficient hybrid sedan on sale in Japan.
Prices for the Honda Grace start from 1,750,000 yen (RM61,324) for the base two-wheel drive model, while the top-shelf four-wheel drive starts from 2,409,800 yen (RM74,721).
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Honda Malaysia got no brain of their own. They are the kuli and babu of DRB Hicom and Syed Mokhtar. DRB or SM tell Honda to eat taik also, they will do so.
Honda Malaysia is at the mercy of these two and they dare not do anything to offend these two Gods. Anyway, why bring Hybrid to Malaysia? Malaysians will use less fuel and less fuel means less revenue for the Government from oil companies through taxation
Why foreign cars so expensive here? Thanks to your beloved government and leech-alike proton.
CKD cars have more or less the same taxes. Blame your beloved Japanese brands for intentionally selling their cars so expensive, with fewer safety features.
Because junk car like Proton can sell 70k.
Therefore lousy Japanese/continental/korean cheap cars sell at 80k~100k also got people buy.
Yeah what’s their excuse pricing CKD at high price? Stop blaming Proton for everything.
John,why r u talking 3,talking
4?
Sister company Honda Malaysia is bringing hard earned cash to DRB,plugging the huge shithole Proton has dugged.
Without Honda,DRB might have hived off Protong long enough for the stranded Martian to return to earth.
The main reason is cos the mamak has to do COMPULSORY NATIONAL SERVICE since he has “swallowed “so many mega projects .
You seem to over protect perlindungan stricken Protong,without knowing where the lifeline is coming from.Shambolic……the favourite word of the ousted Aussie premier.
Honda wont bring this in because they don’t know how to price this thing properly.
How can this be priced more than the old Insight, which was a bespoke model (assuming they are going to CKD this also) at 98k?
It will kill its own normal City and Jazz sales.
Good news for Untung Manyak Wang SA !!!
:p
pity us.. RM95k for 2wd Honda city.
Japan sell top spec 4wd Honda city at RM75k.
Japan sell cheaper is because that is their local carxD
Blame it on the nature of ckd hybrid incentives. The current incentives will end on 31 Dis 2015. So no point honda produce the grace here if it will end up costing 150k. Should run the exemption for at least for 5-10 years. Manufacturer needs time to prepare the factory for production. Cant help it to think that the purpose of this exemption was probably for them to get the merc S400L Hybrid for cheap.
Malaysia automotive industry hates the environment so much and we don’t even care about it at all. Just look at how existing hybrids and fuel efficient vehicles are priced here. That’s why this City hybrid won’t be coming to Malaysia. Pfftt…
I don’t really blame Honda. When the government is flip-flopping their policies on hybrid cars, it make sense not to commit.
Our neighbours welcome to be the hub of Honda hybrids.
compare to this.
our Honda City is Kosong Spec.
Jazz also included. Hideous 2015 model still using old SOHC engine. In USA and canada, all jazz models get new DOHC earth dreams engine with honda lanewatch feature for example. Rm 87k without earth dreams engine is damn useless.
Hopeless DRB HICOM Fxxks think malaysian customers are dumb and blind. Huge disgrace and ripoffs. Rakyat Malaysia bukan orang bodoh. No offence people……
Dont worry bro. I know how u feel. After reading and checking https://www.honda.ca/fit/specs, u are absolutely right. DRB ripped off malaysian honda’s existing and potential customers. To Hxxl with them. They think we rakyat malaysia orang bodoh and never realise what they put inside the hondas sold here.
Thanks to you I might just cancel my booking on the Rm 87k Hideous Jazz like u said. Really appreciate your help my friend. Blessyou:). Might consider hondas competitors instead.
HAHAHA SO MANY SOHAI THINK THEY REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPEN.
THIS CAR WAS DELAY DELAY DELAY AND SCREWED UP BECAUSE IN JAPAN RECALLING LIKE MAD LA!!!!!!
Because this is the DSG of Honda.
Too many hybrid will cause many petrol station to earn less and may close down…so they stop introducing more hybrid incentive…further Malaysia air not pollute enough so have to pollute more
I like the gear-stick! but unfortunately it is not available for market other than Japan….. How disappointed when I see our version of Honda HR-V!!
Bring in to Malaysia.. Confirm many people will buy.. Trust me ahaha
The logic is simple. Gomen need petrolheads own high oil consumption cars. So that they can adjust fuel prices according to their liking. So why need to give Hybrid any chance? Which take away their fuel business… our Njis said reduced carbon emission from vehicles by 50 % in five years. How he can do that if allowing more petrol or diesel quenchers on the road?
Logic is simple. Business for grey market importers. For Honda Malaysia, why give latest models to rakyats, when the current models are selling like hot cups. Vios is nothing new.
WHY HONDA WHY…??? NOOOOoooo…….
yeah bro. was hoping to get 1 too
Yeah man really hope they will change their mind and still bring it in here :I…….
tat is just a honda city with grace rear light
Earthdreaming Jazz got 200HP?
Honda Malusia A DisGrace. Now so many Fed govt official driving the Proton Accordana. I scratch your back you scratch my back. I help you, you help me lah. Better merge the two since both partly owned by Shit Botak
Gomen won’t approve hybrid cos if everyone buys hybrid nobody will pay for petrol and Petronas profit will reduce drastically and gomen also earns lesser. Gomen happy if cars like proton fuel guzzler so can contribute more to economy. It’s an ecosystem high car prices, fuel guzzler and gomen earns. All thanks to the brainchild of Dr M and his Proton pride. Making every single rakyats suffer. I hope gomen can force Proton out of business and liberalize the car market. The skyrocket car prices and extreme poor quality of Proton cars really piss the rakyats off. Why can 90% of the countries in the world enjoy really cheap cars while Malaysia has one of the most expensive cars in the world relative to income level? It doesn’t make sense at all. Proton is forcing people to buy their garbage product like saga while charging the citizens 60k for a preve which is not cheap btw and extremely junk btw, unpowered and noisy and harsh. I really wish Najib can force Proton to close shop for the good of all Malaysians. It has been a thorn and we have suffer enough with your presence and you still deliver disgusting and lousy products and still have the face to say you’re better than BMW. It’s like you’re talking garbage to cover your ego and ignore the rakyats in this country. You are such a selfish person who do not care about the wellbeing for Malaysians. If you really care for us you will have create cars as good as the japs and Koreans and sell us quality and cheap products. You’re such a disgrace to this country! Najib please close down proton for the sake of all Malaysians. We deserve better.
R u sure what are u talking above? Seem like a uneducated level of talk.
Same rubbish comment only diff name. What do you expect?
It is well known that Honda haven’t come out a DCT gearbox outside Japan yet.
Maybe they still need time to counter measures any problem in their markets first then bring to outside.
Even no DCT recall, Msia will not sell.
If Grace sell in msia, the price will cheaper than Honda City. (CKD + Hybrind tax incentive)
The assembly is much more complicated, and labour cost is higher than City, Profit lower than City, selling price lower than city.
Honda Malaysia will not bring in this car.
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