Honda City Hybrid Launching In India — Hybrid Sedan To Feature Petrol Engine & Two Electric Motors

Updated: Friday, August 20, 2021, 10:28 [IST]

We are more than halfway through 2021, and petrol prices in India have reached the three-digit mark, the government is trying new and innovative ways to stop the usage of old cars, and everyone is speaking about electric propulsion.

Yet, we do not have a mainstream affordable hybrid four-wheeler in the market today. Well, that is about to change because Honda is planning to launch a hybrid version of the City sedan in India. The Japanese carmaker intends to launch the City hybrid in India by the middle of 2022.

Honda intended to launch the City hybrid in 2021, but thanks to the global pandemic, the testing and development got delayed and the launch has been proportionately postponed. The news about the launch of the Honda City Hybrid in 2022 was confirmed by Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director, Sales and Marketing, Honda Cars India.

According to him, the upcoming Honda City Hybrid will be launched in the next financial year.

This time frame gives Honda's engineers enough time to further refine various characteristics of the hybrid version of the Honda City to suit Indian roads and fine tune various other parameters.

As per various sources, the Honda City Hybrid uses a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder, 1.5-litre petrol engine, which is good for an output of 97bhp and 127Nm. Being a hybrid, the Honda City also uses an electric motor for propulsion.

However, unlike other hybrid cars, the upcoming Honda City Hybrid uses not one but two electric motors. One of the motors acts as an integrated starter generator (ISG), while the other electric motor is a 108hp unit that helps in propulsion by powering the front wheels via a single-speed fixed-ratio gearbox.

Though on paper, the combined power output may seem close to 200hp, in reality, the power will be somewhat limited in combined form for maximum efficiency. After all, this is not designed to lap the Nürburgring but to take care of the daily needs of a common person more efficiently.

Along with this, Honda has confirmed a mid-size SUV, codenamed 31XA for the Indian market, and it will be built on a completely new platform to take one of the most competitive segments in the industry.

Thoughts On Honda City Hybrid Being Launched In India

Though Honda might not currently be a sales champ in India which it once was, Honda is on the right trajectory with strong products lined-up for the feature. While the Honda City Hybrid may help conquer the segment once the Japanese manufacturer dominated, the upcoming SUV may help Honda gain some market share in India.