Japanese car maker, Honda India recently launched Honda City mid-variant with automatic option. Now the company has decided to add yet another variant of its popular sedan, the City, which is apparently a CNG version and it is expected to be launched by late-October or early-November. This is the important move made by the Japanese car manufacturer to boost their sales in India with omission of diesel version.
A source said Honda had been working on the CNG variant for some time and will make a few changes against a conventional petrol-only variant. “The suspension of the car has been strengthened as the CNG tank will be housed in the boot of the car. Also, a few changes have been made to the engine of the car in line with the requirements of a CNG car,” the sources said. It is also being speculated that the instrument cluster of the City will have changes to display the amount of CNG left in the tank.
The CNG kit is likely to be a factory-fit affair with additional warranty for the same. When launched, we expect the CNG version to cost at least Rs 50,000-60,000 more than the standard City. However, the only drawback of Honda City CNG version will be the limited availability of CNG filling stations in the country.
Honda City with CNG option will be a great alternative to those who are in love with Honda reliability and brand name, but also would like a more economical vehicle than a petrol sedan. Usually, conversion to CNG will result in some reduction in power. But the Honda City petrol already comes with 118 bhp of power, much more than most similar sedans except Hyundai Verna. Even after conversion to CNG, the City is therefore likely to be a fun car to drive.
Meanwhile, Honda India has once again confirmed that the works on new 1.5-litre diesel engine is on and will be launched by March 2013.
Also see – Honda India launched City S with Automatic transmission at Rs. 9.09 lakh
Source – EconomicTimes
