HONDA CITY e: HEV

Impressive strong hybrid tech, promising fuel efficiency, and a packed safety features list. But how does it all work? Here's your clearest explanation yet

- BERTRAND D'SOUZA

Type 1,498cc, inline-4 cyl, twin electric motor

Gearbox e-CVT

LxWxH (mm) 4,549x1,748x1,412

Combined power 126PS

Boot space 306-litres

Price ₹19.5 lakh (ex-showroom)

Max torque 127Nm@ 4,500-5,000rpm (petrol), 253Nm (electric)

Fuel efficiency 26.5kmpl (claimed)

Packed with tech Collision mitigation over-sensitive

Honda has, for quite some time now, laid low. Their last offering, the all-new City, came in almost two years ago, and their product profile's numbers consistently kept diminishing. Matters got so bad, Honda Cars India was also speculated to be one of those exiting the Indian market soon after Ford made an exit. That however isn't the case. Honda, like their Japanese counterparts Toyota, did not make an aggressive move to EVs globally, choosing instead to promote their hybrid technologies. That brings us to the City e: HEV, a strong hybrid sedan that has been selling overseas and is now finally being offered in India. We drove the car recently in Bangalore and to make matters simple, I'm going to focus purely on the benefits of their hybrid technology and what it brings to the City.