Honda Cars India has announced that the company has discontinued the range-topping variants of the fourth-generation City. The older-generation Honda City was not pulled off the shelves when the fifth-generation version arrived earlier this year. The model was being sold in all variants with prices identical for both gen versions. However, the automaker has now decided that the old Honda City will now be sold only in the SV and V variants priced at Rs. 9.30 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh respectively (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi). Both variants have also received a price cut in the process to the tune of Rs. 61,000 and Rs. 66,000 respectively, in a bid to make the model more attractively positioned.
With the distinction between the two versions more evident, the company hopes to offer a wider choice of options to customers. The 2020 Honda City is priced from Rs. 10.89 lakh for the V trim, which brings a sizeable difference of Rs. 1.59 lakh between the old gen and the new-gen variants. Similarly, the VX manual variant is priced at Rs. 12.25 lakh on the VX trim, which is Rs. 2.25 lakh more than the old City's V variant. The difference between the old and the new V variants stands at Rs. 90,000.
Also Read: 2020 Honda City vs Old Honda City: What's Different?
The new-gen Honda City has grown in proportions and equipment, and is also more expensive than its rivals
Speaking on the development, Rajesh Goel, Sr. Vice President and Director, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India said, "While the All-New 5th Gen Honda City has created a new benchmark of supremacy occupying the most premium position in the mid-size sedan segment, we had decided to continue selling the 4th Generation Honda City as it continues to be a popular model with its contemporary styling and is also BS6 compliant. With the continuation of 4th Generation Honda City in SV and V grade, we have ensured that the City brand is available to a wider set of customers in terms of trims and different price points in the mid-size sedan segment."
Also Read: The Return Of The King: All-New Honda City Review
The fourth-generation Honda City was introduced in January 2014 in India and the Japanese automaker has sold over 3.5 lakh units of the compact sedan so far. The old City will be offered only with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine mated to the 5-speed manual gearbox. In contrast, the new Honda City gets the new 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines, while the petrol uses a 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-step CVT automatic. The new City is also more loaded on the feature front right from the entry-level models that make it a value-friendly choice for the price you pay.
The old generation Honda City will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Skoda Rapid, Volkswagen Vento and lower trims of the Hyundai Verna
Also Read: New-Generation Honda City Launched In India
The all-new Honda City is based on a new platform, gets new engines and packs more space as well over the older version. It also sports a more premium and evolutionary design language with better quality materials, features and connected car technology onboard. There's more legroom at the rear, courtesy of the longer wheelbase.
