New Honda City crosses one lakh sales

Honda’s bread and butter model, and the longest serving model in its Indian line-up, the City, has crossed one lakh sales in just 15 months of production since the debut of the fourth generation model. With cumulative sales of 1,01,299 units since its launch in January 2014, the City sedan has become the fastest mid-size sedan in India to achieve this milestone. The strong comeback in the segment after the Japanese marque’s decision to bring in the diesel engine was the prime reason for these sales figures. This achievement brought the car back to the top ten selling cars list after a five year break.

The new Honda City comes with a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol that develops 117bhp, and a 99bhp 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine that also does duty in the Honda Amaze and the Mobilio. The petrol engine has both manual and automatic transmission options while the diesel mill has a six-speed manual ‘box.

First introduced in India in January 1998, the previous 3 generations of the Honda City had brought joy to over 4.3 lakh customers across the country and had been the country’s most successful sedan. However, the lack of a diesel engine diminished sales as rivals had both engines on offer. Bringing the diesel engine from the Japanese manufacturer’s Earth Dreams family had a significantly positive effect on Honda’s sales charts, this from a manufacturer who, at one point, struggled with poor sales. The 1.5-litre four-pot was launched with the Amaze compact sedan, a car that achieved one lakh in sales in just 16 months. Now, the larger City continues the success story.

Commenting on the success, Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd said, “This is a very proud moment for us. City brand has been the face of Honda in India, enjoying strong leadership and popularity in its segment ever since its launch. We would like to thank our customers for the confidence and continuous support that has enabled the brand to grow from strength to strength.”