The Honda City Gets A Hatchback Sibling In Thailand

• Honda City hatchback revealed in Thailand.

• It’s 200mm shorter and 11mm smaller wheelbase than the sedan. 

• While the front end is similar, the rear looks completely different. 

• Powered by a 122PS 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a CVT. 

Most of you know the City as a comfortable compact sedan, but Honda has revealed the City hatchback in Thailand. It will be sold in other countries, but here’s why this nice looking hatchback might not come to India anytime soon.  

The Honda City hatchback is up to 4,349mm long, 1,748mm wide, 1,488mm tall, and sits on a 2,589mm wheelbase. It’s a full 200mm shorter than the City sedan, but the wheelbase has been compromised by just 11mm. Therefore, it could be quite spacious despite the shorter length. It also has one important feature we miss in the current-gen Jazz: Magic Seats! It allows you to be flexible with the seating layout, therefore having adequate room either for you or your luggage. 

Honda has nailed it in the styling department of the City hatchback. It looks similar to the sedan right until the front door, but the execution of the rear of the hatchback has been neatly done. It doesn’t look awkwardly chopped off, as with the Mahindra XUV300 in comparison to the SsangYong Tivoli, for example. Even the alloy wheels are the same as the sedan. 

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What also remains unchanged are the interiors, which is no bad thing. It retains the sedan’s minimalistic dashboard layout and this RS variant you see in these pictures comes with a sportier all-black finish with red stitching. Heck, even the equipment list is similar to the sedan. 

Highlights include an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connected car tech, cruise control, climate control, Honda’s Lane Watch camera, keyless entry with push button start, and a multi-info display. Safety is taken care of multiple airbags, ABS with EBD, parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. 

Honda intends to make the City a hot hatchback as it only comes with a single 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. It develops 122PS of power, 173Nm of torque, and can only be had with a 7-step CVT. Nope, the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated motor is not offered here. 

The Honda City hatchback won’t make it to India as our market is more favoured towards SUVs and sedans than big premium hatchbacks. That said, Honda has done a good job of extracting a hatchback from a long sedan. If it ever comes to India, it’d have to replace the Jazz and compete with sub-4 metre premium hatchbacks like the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Volkswagen Polo, and the Tata Altroz. That said Honda would not be able to price the City hatchback competitively against its sub-4 metre rivals that attract lesser taxes. Honda recently updated the Jazz with new features and refreshed design in India and it will soldier on for a few years.