Honda begins India production of City e:HEV Hybrid
Honda has begun production of the City e:HEV Hybrid in India at their manufacturing facility in Tapukara, Rajasthan. The Japanese car maker had unveiled the City Hybrid and opened bookings for it just last week. This is India’s first proper Hybrid car model for the masses. Honda will launch and announce the price for the City Hybrid next month with deliveries beginning subsequently.
Speaking about the development, Mr. Takuya Tsumura, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Limited said, “It’s a delight to share that we are commencing the production of the City e:HEV from our Tapukara facility in the state of Rajasthan. The milestone also marks our commitment to bring advanced technologies for Indian customers and beginning of our electrification journey in India. As a company, we have always been aligned with the Government of India’s vision of Make in India as well as bringing environmentally friendly technologies. We have received an overwhelming response to the City e: HEV since its unveil earlier this month. The trust and passion exuberated by our customers highlight their preference for a strong hybrid from Honda. Honda City e:HEV is a very practical and stress free solution for our customers who are seeking electrified mobility.”
The City Hybrid comes powered by the 1.5L naturally aspirated Atkinsons 4-cylinder Petrol engine (97hp) that is combined to two Electric motors (108hp) fed by an self charging Lithium ion battery. The combined power output for the City Hybrid is 124hp and 253Nm of torque. An e-CVT unit with shift-by-wire technology does the transmission duties here. Honda claims an overall best in class fuel economy of 26.5kmpl for the City Hybrid. The e:HEV electric-hybrid system uses three driving modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive, along with Regeneration mode during deceleration.
In terms of features, the new Honda City e:HEV comes with all the features from the ZX trim, dual-tone interior theme, gloss dark wood garnish on the instrument panel, electric parking brake, auto-hold function, all four disc brakes, and AVAS. Also Honda is offering its signature Sensing Suite on the City Hybrid which is their version of the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) with safety features like blind-spot detection, emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control etc. Apart from ADAS the City Hybrid also come with 6 Airbags, ABS with EBD, Tyre pressure monitor, Vehicle stability assist, auto headlamps, Agile handling assist to name some.
Changes to the exterior design on the new Honda City hybrid include a fog light garnish, new mesh-type upper grille, new design 16-inch alloy wheels, a diffuser for the rear bumper, body coloured trunk lip spoiler, new soft blue glow Honda logo on the front and an e:HEV logo on the boot lid.
The Honda City Hybrid also comes with 3-year Unlimited kilometres warranty as standard. The customers can also opt for Extended Warranty up to 5 years and Anytime Warranty upto 10 years from the date of car purchase. The warranty available on lithium-ion battery will be 8-year or 1,60,000 Km (Whichever comes first) from the date of car purchase. The Honda City e:HEV Hybrid competes with the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Skoda Slavia, and the soon to be launched Volkswagen Virtus.
