Upcoming Honda City Sedan Facelift: What To Expect
Honda’s mid-size sedan, the City, is probably the oldest model that is still on sale in the Indian market. We currently have the fifth-generation City on our roads, which was launched around the pandemic. While Honda has already started talking about the next-generation City, the current version on sale is desperately in need of an update. Rivals from brands like Skoda, Volkswagen, and Hyundai are also planning to update their models. It was only recently that we came across a spy shot of the Honda City facelift. From the images and details available online, here is what we can expect from the upcoming Honda City facelift.
The spy pictures circulating online only show the rear of the upcoming Honda City. Also, the sedan was not spotted in India but in Brazil. If you look at the picture carefully, you will realise that the car is completely camouflaged. We can see a shark fin antenna on the roof, and the sloping roofline is visible too.
The silhouette of the sedan looks more or less the same, but as we move to the rear, things start looking a bit different. It looks like Honda is currently working on redesigning the rear of the car. It is not going to be anything major, but rather minor tweaks to give it a fresh look.
It might get a sharper design, which would give the sedan a sleeker and sportier stance. While we do not see the front of the sedan in these images, we can expect revisions there as well. The sedan is expected to come with updated headlamps, nose, and front grille. It might take inspiration from the Civic that is available in international markets.
The headlamps will be LED, and we also expect to see a sharper-looking front bumper along with fog lamps. On the side, we expect to see a new set of alloy wheels, which would give the car a more premium look. The LED tail lamps are visible in the pictures and look very similar to the current version, but we are sure Honda would have made minor changes to the internal elements to give them a fresh touch.
As this is only a facelift, we are not expecting many changes in the cabin. It will continue to come with the same leatherette upholstery and a blacked-out dashboard with gloss black elements. The layered dashboard will house the touchscreen infotainment system. It will continue to use the same UI and will also get a semi-digital instrument cluster.
The multi-function steering wheel, electrically adjustable seats, automatic climate control, and electric sunroof will all continue to be offered. Honda might include ventilated seats, as this feature is currently trending in this segment.
Many people ask whether sedans still make sense in the age of SUVs. The answer is not a simple yes or no—it depends entirely on customer preference. Almost everyone knows that sedans are slowly losing popularity, being replaced by compact crossovers and SUVs. This trend is not limited to India but is seen globally.
In such a situation, brands like Volkswagen and Skoda introduced new sedans. Both are doing well, and in fact, the Virtus became the best-seller in this segment, surpassing the Honda City and Hyundai Verna.
This proves that there is still demand for sedans. If Honda can come up with a no-nonsense product like the Virtus and Slavia, it will find takers, as the Honda City has always had a certain class and charm.
Everyone knows that the Honda City is one of those sedans that set benchmarks in this segment. It has been in the market for over two decades and is a well-known name in Indian households.
It may not be the most feature-loaded or powerful sedan, but it does offer a decent number of features that a customer would need on a day-to-day basis. It also offers Level 2 ADAS, and one of the standout features is that it is the only sedan in this segment to come with a strong hybrid system.
Once the regular City gets the facelift, the same changes will make their way to the e:HEV (hybrid) variant as well. So, if Honda launches the City facelift with a decent number of upgrades at an attractive price, it is likely to continue attracting buyers.
As mentioned earlier, the next-generation Honda City is expected to arrive in 2028. It will be based on a new PF2 platform, which is expected to be heavily localised. The next-gen City might also get a new, more cost-effective hybrid system that Honda is currently developing. This could help bring down the price of hybrid cars in India.