AYUTTHAYA, Thailand — Honda has taken the wraps off the all-new replacement for the City sedan and announced that it intends to make the Thai plant where it is built a model of quality, technology and delivery.
The third-generation subcompact looks less and less like its sibling the Jazz (known in the U.S. as the Fit), despite sharing the same basic platform and mechanicals. Instead, it now has a front end similar to that of the forthcoming Insight Hybrid — which will be shown in concept form at the 2008 Paris Auto Show next month — but with a radiator grille with a strong resemblance to the FCX Clarity fuel-cell car.
Inside, the City and Jazz no longer share the same dashboard. The center console, dials, door panels, seats and even the shift knob are completely different in the City. The only element from the Jazz is the three-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters.
The engine and transmission are the same: a 120-horsepower 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine capable of running on either gasoline or an ethanol blend, coupled to a five-speed automatic gearbox.
Like the Jazz, the City now comes with one engine choice. Previously, there was a more economical 88-hp 1.5-liter i-DSI variant to compete with Chevrolet's Aveo. At the moment, Honda says it has no plans to revive sales of the i-DSI.
The City's floorplan is a stretched version of the Jazz's, around 4.5 inches longer than before to match its Toyota Vios archrival and 2.3 inches longer than the Jazz.
In Thailand, prices start at the equivalent of $16,375 for the base model and top out at $21,688 for the range topper featuring twin airbags and antilock brakes, putting the City basically on par with the Vios' price range.
Honda hopes Thai sales of the City will reach 35,000 in the next 12 months, with another 24,000 to be exported to other parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Slated to join the subcompact fray next year are Ford and Mazda with their Fiesta and Mazda 2, both to be available in sedan and five-door hatchback forms. Due to make their Thai debuts at the 2009 Bangkok Auto Show next March, the Fiesta and Mazda 2 will be made at the Rayong's AutoAlliance plant in eastern Thailand with a combined annual output of 100,000 for both domestic and export markets.
What this means to you: Honda takes its Thai manufacturing and marketing hub seriously. — Richard Leu, Correspondent
The third-generation subcompact looks less and less like its sibling the Jazz (known in the U.S. as the Fit), despite sharing the same basic platform and mechanicals. Instead, it now has a front end similar to that of the forthcoming Insight Hybrid — which will be shown in concept form at the 2008 Paris Auto Show next month — but with a radiator grille with a strong resemblance to the FCX Clarity fuel-cell car.
Inside, the City and Jazz no longer share the same dashboard. The center console, dials, door panels, seats and even the shift knob are completely different in the City. The only element from the Jazz is the three-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters.
The engine and transmission are the same: a 120-horsepower 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine capable of running on either gasoline or an ethanol blend, coupled to a five-speed automatic gearbox.
Like the Jazz, the City now comes with one engine choice. Previously, there was a more economical 88-hp 1.5-liter i-DSI variant to compete with Chevrolet's Aveo. At the moment, Honda says it has no plans to revive sales of the i-DSI.
The City's floorplan is a stretched version of the Jazz's, around 4.5 inches longer than before to match its Toyota Vios archrival and 2.3 inches longer than the Jazz.
In Thailand, prices start at the equivalent of $16,375 for the base model and top out at $21,688 for the range topper featuring twin airbags and antilock brakes, putting the City basically on par with the Vios' price range.
Honda hopes Thai sales of the City will reach 35,000 in the next 12 months, with another 24,000 to be exported to other parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Slated to join the subcompact fray next year are Ford and Mazda with their Fiesta and Mazda 2, both to be available in sedan and five-door hatchback forms. Due to make their Thai debuts at the 2009 Bangkok Auto Show next March, the Fiesta and Mazda 2 will be made at the Rayong's AutoAlliance plant in eastern Thailand with a combined annual output of 100,000 for both domestic and export markets.
What this means to you: Honda takes its Thai manufacturing and marketing hub seriously. — Richard Leu, Correspondent
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