Copyright © HT Media Limited
All rights reserved.
Thailand is appearing to be a major market of interest for Honda as after showcasing the City Hatchback here a while back, the Japanese carmaker has driven in the hybrid version of the popular sedan. Honda City Hybrid , officially referred to as Honda City e-HEV, promises to bring customers closer to an electrified driving platform by assuring a better mileage and while it does cost quite a premium over the regular petrol version of the car, it also comes in a powerful RS variant alone.
While the regular City RS costs 739,000 baht (approximately ₹18 lakh), the City e-HEV has been priced at 839,000 baht (approximately ₹20.50 lakh). Apart from the fact that this here has hybrid technology, it also gets a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated engine rather than the 1.0-litre turbo VTEC.
The electric motor inside the City e-HEV puts out 108 Ps that combines with the 98 Ps on offer overall. There also is 127 Nm of torque for the taking.
Reports suggest that Honda City e-HEV can extract close to 28 kilometers per litre of fuel.
The car also gets several additional features over and above the regular City. This includes steering wheel paddles, a seven-inch instrument cluster display, electronic parking vents, among others. It also gets autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, lane keeping assist.
The B-sedan segment in Thailand sees decent levels of traction and, therefore, Honda would expect the car to do well here despite its slightly premium price point. And while it is not yet clear if the car in its hybrid form will make way to India, it could underline a strong intention from Honda to switch to slightly cleaner options here as well.