The Japanese car maker, Honda has launched the Honda City S Automatic Variant in India with a starting price tag of Rs. 9,09,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). The new car is of the same trim level as that of the outgoing S version with manual transmission. Powering the new model is the 1.5 litre i-VTEC petrol powertrain built to produce 116.38 bhp of maximum power and 146 Nm of peak torque. The powertrain comes mated with a 5-speed automatic transmission unit. Being heavier by 50 kg compared to its manual sibling, the Honda City S can cover a distance of 15.6 km per litre.
The new automatic variant retains all the features of the manual model like interiors, fabric seats, alloy wheels, chrome dash inserts and steering mounted controls. The Honda City S AT also features paddle shifts, which can be found in the high-end City V automatic variant. Though, the car maker has done away with the chrome-tipped exhaust, turn indicators on Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs), 10 spoke alloy wheels, gun metal finish on dash and cruise control in the new model.
With the new launch, the car maker has increased the options for the buyers of its City sedan. Moreover, with a competitive price tag, Honda City S AT is less expensive than its rivals Hyundai Verna, which is priced at Rs. 9.93 lacs and Volkswagen Vento that costs Rs. 9.39 lacs. Besides these two, other contenders in this segment are Ford Fiesta, Maruti Suzuki SX4 and Skoda Rapid, to name a few.
As per the industry lobby group, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), for the month of July, Honda City contributed 11 per cent of overall sales volume in its segment. It sold 1,843 units in July, 2012 against the 5,300 cars sold by the Hyundai Verna, which is the segment leader. Absence of a diesel variant and the high cost of the model is what went against City in the Indian auto market. However, now the car maker is quite keen upon regaining its lost market share from Hyundai and Volkswagen in the sedan segment. It seems that with so many automatic options in the mid-size sedan segment, it is the customer who will benefit most.
