New-gen Honda City spied for the first time in Thailand

- The new-gen Honda City is expected to be revealed either late this year or in 2020.

- It will adopt an evolutionary design change while alternative powertrain options are also on the cards.

- Indian debut will happen after the City goes on sale in the ASEAN markets.

Honda has commenced the testing of fifth-generation City. The sedan was spotted for the first time in Thailand under heavy camouflage. The test mule seems to ready for production and this ASEAN spec model is likely to arrive our shores without drastic changes.

The new generation City will adopt a revised platform and a new design language. The test mule was wearing Honda Civic inspired headlight and protruding grille part of Honda’s new design philosophy. The nose bar joining the two headlights are hard to miss and below it we expect large air dams integrated into the aggressive bumpers. The taillights are reworked as well and the boot shape appears to have undergone a radical change. The overall size of the sedan seems to have changed as well, but nothing can be said about it at the moment.

Under the camouflage, the new City is surely hiding a full LED headlamp design akin to the Civic and the bigger Accord. The nose bar will be finished in chrome while a lip spoiler up front is expected to add an aggressive stance. We expect the new City to grow in size creating more space on the inside. On the other hand, the cabin will also be revised with new features trickled down from more expensive models.

Powering the fifth-gen City will be the same set on engine options as the current model. However, these powertrains will be updated to meet the newest emission norms. Also, Honda is working on a petrol-hybrid powertrain which will surely debut with the new City. This would be a mild hybrid system akin to Maruti’s Smart Hybrid but a full-fledged hybrid powertrain isn’t ruled out either. However, the latter will only be available in the international markets. Apart from that, a diesel-CVT from the Amaze is also on the cards.

Honda is expected to take the covers off the new City sometime later this year. Once it goes on sale in the international markets, the Ciaz rival will promptly make its way to our shores.

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