Honda City facelift codenamed 2GC coming in 2017: Report

Japanese car maker Honda is reportedly working on giving a facelift to the City sedan, and the project has been codenamed 2GC. Contrary to the rumours about the new City getting launched during the festive season of this year, the company has postponed the launch to 2017, reports Team BHP.

The publication reports that the decision to delay the launch until 2017 has been taken in order to see how the car's prime rival Hyundai Verna takes shape for 2017. Reports indicate that the new City's design will be borrowed from the Honda Greiz sedan currently being sold in the Chinese market. The new City being a mid-life facelift, the updates are expected to concentrate on cosmetic appeal while the powertrains are expected to be unchanged.

The thick horizontal slat grille that is a part of the new design language of Honda will be left untouched in the facelift, though it may get a dark colour treatment. The grille and the newly-designed headlamps will have a more integrated layout. The front and rear bumpers will be tweaked while the rear of the facelift is expected to sport C-shaped tail lamps.

The new City's interior is expected to feature a 15.7cm touchscreen, an automatic climate control system, audio and handsfree telephone controls, paddle shift, cruise control, electric sunroof and a sat-nav system. On the safety front, the facelift is expected to feature ABS with EBD, rear parking sensor, anti-theft alarm, child safety locks, and front and side impact beams.

The new Honda City will carry the same petrol and diesel engines of the current model. The 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine develops 117bhp and 145Nm of torque mated to five-speed manual and CVT gearboxes. The 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine develops 99bhp and 200Nm of torque mated to six-speed manual transmission.