After more than a decade of dragging the consumers with the same old model, the “New Honda City” is finally coming to the Pakistani market.
The company has been teasing with the pictures and updates but revealed a detail yesterday that has caused some shade over the issue. People were wondering whether the country would get the 6th or 7th generation of the Honda City, however, the latest video has people worried as it revealed certain features answering the question.
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The video teaser captioned, “its beauty” shows the daytime running lamp (DRL) which curves along the way, giving away the fact that the car is the old 6th generation as opposed to the newer 7th generation launching in the market.
The official teaser is lined with comments by disappointed customers expecting the latest model to hit Pakistan. The 6th generation which was launched in 2014 has been globally discontinued in 2019. It was one of the most popular sedans in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, and even China’s sedan market.
In Pakistan, some imported cars by the name of grace, represent the hybrid Honda city of the 6th generation.
Features of the 6th Generation
Engine
Internationally, the 6th generation comes with following options:
- 1.5 L L15Z1 i-VTEC SOHC I4 (117hp)
- 1.5 L L15B Earth Dreams i-DTEC DOHC I4 (132hp)
- 1.5 L Earth Dreams i-DTEC I4 (99hp)
The most common was a 1.5 liter 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine that had an output of 120 horsepower and 145 newton-meters of torque.
Exterior
The 6th generation of the vehicle is lightly longer than its predecessor. It is 4,442mm in length, which is 22mm longer than the 5th generation. The car also has a longer wheelbase, which is 2600mm. The trunk of the car is 30 litres bigger than the predecessor with 536 liter space.
Safety
The safety features include electronic stability control, ABS, Variable stability assist (VSA), Hill-start assists, reversing camera, parking sensors, keyless entry and go, cruise control, among other features.
Interior and Infotainment
The new Honda’s steering wheel is multifunctional and the dashboard has been improved greatly. The combination of blue and white lights in the dashboard give the car a cool look. It comes with a new Display Audio infotainment system. The system also features Bluetooth phone, audio streaming, a reverse camera and a 7-inch coloured touchscreen with capacitive touch surfaces for volume control and climate control. The car has a piano black centre stack, which is button-free.
It must be noted that only the premium VTI-L has paddle shifters, leather-wrapped gear, push start button and keyless entry.
Launching old versions
The launching of old versions is a trend followed by the new Korean entrants like Hyundai and KIA with both launching older cars then the globally available market.
Many had been hopeful that the companies in Pakistan will be careful in launching old versions as new competition is entering, however, with new entrants following the age-old trend, Pakistani automobile market will lag the international market.