[Nithesh_M]

I think I figured the strategy out. With the BRV/Mobilio/Brio discontinued, Honda has some free production line it needs to fill. That is one reason the new City will be produced and sold with the old one.

The other reason being, the current City's rivals are merely facelifts with the mechanicals of yore, save for the Hyundai that will also get the small turbo unit that has been shared across platforms to reduce overall costs.

I doubt either Hyundai or Maruti would be looking at replacing the Verna/Ciaz with an all new model which would bump up the price like that of the new City at a time sedans are losing market share to everything from Micro SUVs to compact SUVs and midsize SUVs.

The current City still seems to be selling by word of mouth or neighbor's envy as is the case in my neighbourhood atleast. The City is to us what the 3 series is to folks in the West. The "I've just made it in life/career" car.

But the price range of the current City is just about as much as anyone is willing to pay for one and there won't be many takers for the new City. They'll keep the old City production going with the demand while the new City may be capped to certain units a month to gauge demand. If the new City finds good numbers the old City will disappear next year. If not, they'll continue to sell side by side.

[born.4thnov]

Dear People,

I have a question here. My cousin is planning to upgrade his Honda Jazz to a bigger car.
His priorities are

1. Price - Around 13 lakhs
2. Good to drive
3. Space
4. After sales.

His Jazz has done 50k kilometres in 5 years. Since the run is mostly in the city for office purpose and occasionally on highways, a petrol mill is preferred. He was waiting for the New City to get launched, but it looks like Honda is not in a hurry.

So, he has test driven and almost shortlisted 2 cars

1. Hyundai Verna - For looks and power. Seating is low and rear space is a compromise for the price. Cost of petrol manual SX is 12.5 lakhs approximate.

2. Old city - For power and driving ease. Service is also not an issue as he is an existing Jazz owner and is also getting better resale value for his Jazz. Cons - New model could arrive any time now

While his mind was almost fixed on the Verna, there came a twist. His project director is moving to Canada permanently in the next 1-2 months after the situation eases. He owns a Corolla petrol GL manual. The car is well maintained and my cousin sees it almost every day. It has done < 30k milometers (2018 Feb model). He is now in a fix. Can you please post your suggestions.

NB administrators: This post is being sent on his behalf as he has been rejected twice by the forum. Feeling proud to be a Bhpian.

[GTO]

Guys,

Got an update from someone on the inside.

Honda will be selling the old City side-by-side only for a couple of months. Reason = to clear up old stock of the 4th-gen City. Once these stocks have depleted, the old City will be resting-in-peace.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys,

Got an update from someone on the inside.

Honda will be selling the old City side-by-side only for a couple of months. Reason = to clear up old stock of the 4th-gen City. Once these stocks have depleted, the old City will be resting-in-peace.

IMHO - that isn't consistent with their earlier actions.

1. There can't really be old stocks. BS4 cars can't be sold anymore. And Honda's BS4 dispatches were clearly reduced towards end-2019 itself.

2. And Honda's original launch timeline would have coincided with BS6 (before COVID made them cancel the media drives). So there was no need for incurring the expense for upgrading the L15A to BS6 and old City is the only car to use this engine. New city uses the DOHC L15B.

3. BS6 City was launched in December itself and not a response to the COVID delays.

I feel that if at all they plan to discontinue the last-gen City in a few months - it could be due to the general media backlash (especially on Team Bhp) after the rumours came out.

[shravan2k2]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys,

Got an update from someone on the inside.

Honda will be selling the old City side-by-side only for a couple of months. Reason = to clear up old stock of the 4th-gen City. Once these stocks have depleted, the old City will be resting-in-peace.

That's a nice way to shoot up the price of new City significantly. As Honda would keep a good price gap between the old and new one. And once the old one is discontinued the price of new one would never be reduced because the brand value takes a hit plus the trust of owners who bought the new City as well.

[OSH]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

So there was no need for incurring the expense for upgrading the L15A to BS6 and old City is the only car to use this engine. New city uses the DOHC L15B.

Minor correction; it was the L15Z1 engine that became BS6 compliant and not the L15A series.

The L15A1 was the Vtec engine that came in the higher variants of the 2nd gen City ZX and the L15A7 was the iVtec engine that came with the 3rd gen City. These engines never made it to the 4th gen City, it got the L15Z1 iVtec engine instead.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

3. BS6 City was launched in December itself and not a response to the COVID delays.

Very valid points. I do agree that the back clash on media would've triggered intense discussions in their board. However, I believe that there could be existing stocks. Stocks not as cars but, as materials supplied by Vendors and suppliers. The throughput could've been impacted due to the Covid crisis causing delay in manufacturing and sales.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by born.4thnov

Dear People,

I have a question here. My cousin is planning to upgrade his Honda Jazz to a bigger car.
While his mind was almost fixed on the Verna, there came a twist. His project director is moving to Canada permanently in the next 1-2 months after the situation eases. He owns a Corolla petrol GL manual. The car is well maintained and my cousin sees it almost every day. It has done < 30k milometers (2018 Feb model). He is now in a fix. Can you please post your suggestions.

He should buy the Corolla. Reasons are many, but only one is important, does he like the Corolla?

If yes, then everything else he wants, and more is there in a Corolla.

Personally I have a 2003 Corolla which has completed 2 lakh kms, and I still can’t give it up, even though it runs only about 200-300 kms a month. Though it is the least used, it is still the most trouble free car in my garage, rest are Germans

[TusharK]

4th-gen Honda City to be sold alongside new model; Priced from Rs. 9.30 lakh

It is now confirmed that Honda will continue to sell the fourth generation City alongside the new model. The old City will be available in two variants - SV and V priced at Rs. 9,29,900 and Rs. 9,99,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively.



Both variants are available with a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. This engine produces 117 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm @ 4,600 rpm. It has a single overhead cam (SOHC) valvetrain unlike the new City's DOHC setup.

The fifth generation City was launched in July this year. The car is available n three variants and prices start at Rs. 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The new City is offered with a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 119 BHP @ 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm @ 4,300 rpm. This engine is offered with either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed CVT. The car also comes with a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel unit producing 98 BHP @ 3,600 rpm and 200 Nm @ 1,750 rpm. It is paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Link to Team-BHP News

[F1-Addict]

Really really really confused why are honda doing this?
I just cannot understand the logic of it? I regularly visit other country Honda Cars websites and do not recall them doing any such thing anywhere else in the world.

Civic is the only model I see sold in different avatars - 4 door sedan, 5 door hatch, Type R.

But its different models of the current generation - not the older generation.

Sighhhh.. I'm still trying to figure this one.

[NiInJa]

What are they going to be called then ? City 4G and City 5G or sasti waali City and mehengi waali City ?

The good part is people who want a Honda but are not satisfied with the Jazz/WRV's 1.2L engine and rear seats can get the old City.

I wonder if they could launch the 5th Gen City as the new Civic and the new Civic as the Accord

[Zinda]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

What are they going to be called then ? City 4G and City 5G or sasti waali City and mehengi waali City ?

I wonder if they could launch the 5th Gen City as the new Civic and the new Civic as the Accord

hilarious
I think they decided to keep the 4th Gen to lure the buyers with a budget of 10 L as Honda dont have a right product to fill in the gap. Or maybe to attract Cab operators - as Etios is discontinued, Price of Petrol and Diesel are almost same, and Honda offers legendary reliability and decent mileage.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by Zinda

hilarious
I think they decided to keep the 4th Gen to lure the buyers with a budget of 10 L as Honda dont have a right product to fill in the gap. Or maybe to attract Cab operators - as Etios is discontinued, Price of Petrol and Diesel are almost same, and Honda offers legendary reliability and decent mileage.

Honda already has the Jazz and Amaze touching 10L and slotting just below the City.

I think it’s just a case of old stock lying around, more specifically the old 1.5 SOHC engine. Now Honda could have exhausted them by launching this engine on the Jazz, revitalising the hatch in process. But no, they won’t do that. It’s only a matter of months that the Gen4 City will solder on before it is confined to the pages of history.

[GTO]

I am still convinced this is only a temporary measure until stocks clear. Honda has never sold 2 generations of the same model in India, and I doubt it will do so in the longer-term. On the other hand, if they intend to make this permanent, let me just say that the strategy SUCKS! It will lead to a marginal difference in sales, if at all, and a cheaper "old City" under 10 lakhs will take away a bit of sheen from the new, more expensive City. It will also negatively affect the "City" brand-name which is the most valued in the C2-sedan class. Can't Honda take care of this brand-name? There is a reason that quality brands like Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and others aren't selling old-gen cars in India. Heck, even Maruti is getting off the addiction!

Not cool, Honda. Not cool. Like the others, if you want the 9.99 lakh customer, bring a base variant of the 5th-gen City.

[lemedico]

Desperate times call for desperate measures! Its an odd thing for Honda to do, but we must consider just how much inventory has piled up during the 2020 disaster, and businesses need to extract every penny in profits however they can. I think we should let them have it, not question the move on the basis that they finally did something right--pricing the new City, after countless self massacres!