The new Honda City has fared exceptionally well at the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP). Honda’s globally popular sedan achieved an overall score of 86.54 points which gives it a 5-Star ASEAN NCAP rating. The new City scored 44.83 points in the Adult Occupant Protection Category, 22.82 points for Child Occupant Protection and 18.89 points for Safety Assist Technologies.
The car used for assessment was the Thailand spec City, which comes equipped with a suite of safety features and driver assistance systems. It sports four airbags (standard), ESC, ABS with EBD, emergency stop signal and blind spot monitoring system for the passenger side rear view mirror. The City also scored well in core safety areas like frontal impact, side impact and head protection. Even the car’s safety systems scored well in categories like effective braking and avoidance, seatbelt reminders, blind spot technology and advanced SATs.
The India-spec Honda City will come with a higher ground clearance and a longer wheelbase compared to the Thai-spec model. On the powertrain front, it will possibly be propelled by the BS6 version of the current generation i-VTEC petrol engine that makes 119hp and 145Nm of torque and can be paired to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT. The diesel powertrain also might come in a BS6 avatar with an enhanced state of tune with 100hp and 200Nm of torque, similar to the Amaze.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the launch and first drives of the Honda City were postponed and are currently scheduled for sometime in April. But with the severity of the pandemic escalating in India, we might witness a further delay. On arrival it will rival the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Verna facelift, Skoda Rapid and the Volkswagen Vento. Meanwhile, stay tuned to evo India on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for fresh updates from the automotive world.