2017 Honda City facelift India launch likely in February; bookings started unofficially

Japanese carmaker Honda has launched face-lifted version of the City sedan in Thailand market on January 12. India is one of the key markets of the City and Honda is not delaying the launch of new version here. Emerging reports indicate Honda Cars India is planning to launch the new City in February.

Also reead: 2017 Honda City facelift started arriving at dealer showrooms

A report in CarDekho confirmed the launch of City in February, citing internal sources. The report also said Honda dealers in Delhi have already started accepting bookings for the new City as some buyers are ready to wait out. However, Honda Cars India has neither officially commenced booking for the new car nor mentioned any launch date so far. Official bookings for the updated model are expected to start in the beginning of February.

The new version of the City comes with a cosmetic upgrade that mainly emphasis on the front-end. The new bumper has a protruding stance while the front grille is now more pronounced like that in Civic. It features a thick horizontal chrome bar which extends into the top part of the new headlights. The new headlamps come with LED DRLs while fog lamps too get the LED treatment on higher trims.

A set of new 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels are the sole changes at the sides while the rear had got restyled tail lamps with LED effect. The rear bumper has black-coloured lower half that gives a sporty touch to the overall appearance. On the side, it gets a newly designed leather upholstery for the front seats. The touchscreen infotainment system is now compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

There will be no tweaks on powertrains. The India-spec City will continue to draw power from a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine tuned to churn out 117bhp and 145Nm of torque mated to five-speed manual and CVT gearboxes, and a 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that can generate 99bhp and 200Nm of torque mated to six-speed manual transmission.

Each variant of the new City is expected to be pricier by Rs 25,000 in the new version. Honda's workhorse will go up against Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna and Volkwagen Vento in India.