Honda City celebrates 20 glorious years in India

Honda Cars India Ltd, leading manufacturer of passenger cars in India, today kick-started its celebrations to commemorate 20 successful years of Honda City in India. Honda City started its journey in India in 1998, and now in its fourth generation avatar, has remained one of the longest running nameplates in the Indian automotive history. India is the largest and most important market for Honda City accounting for over 25% of the car’s current worldwide sales. The car continues to be an aspirational brand for many and enjoys huge brand loyalty amongst its customers.

Speaking about the milestone achievement for Honda City in India, Mr. Yoichiro Ueno, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd said, “We are extremely delighted and proud as we celebrate incredible two decades for Honda City in India, having created new benchmarks ever since its first launch in 1998. With a strong legacy of 4 generations, the Honda City has re-invented each time according to the needs and aspirations of customers.” “Each generation of Honda City has offered a new design, latest automotive technology and new-age infotainment experiences. We thank all our City customers for their patronage of the brand” he added.

Outstanding Legacy of Honda City

1998      First Introduction of Honda City in India; First Honda model to be sold in India

                Two engine options – 1.3L and 1.5L in Petrol

2000       VTEC engine introduced in Honda City

2001       No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2003       Second generation of Honda City launched in India

                Engine – 1.5L i-DSI

New family car benchmark in India – Spacious, comfortable, fuel efficient

Introduction of CVT variant – a first on an Indian car

No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2004       No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2005      Launch of City ZX with new looks and new 1.5L VTEC engine

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2006       No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2007      10th anniversary edition of City with ABS launched

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2008      Third Generation of Honda City launched in India

                Engine – 1.5L i-VTEC introduced

Safety equipment – ABS and Airbags as standard offering

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2009      Honda City bags the Indian Car of the Year Award 2009

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2010       No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2011      First in Segment Sunroof introduced in new Honda City

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2012       CNG ready version of Honda City introduced

                Touch screen AVN introduced

No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2013       World Premiere of 4^th Generation of Honda City in India

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2014      Launch of 4^th Gen City in India – Most successful Honda City ever

                Engine options – 1.5L i-VTEC petrol and 1.5L i-DTEC diesel

                First time introduction of Diesel engine in Honda City

                Introduction of new generation CVT offering more fuel economy than manual variant

2015       No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2016       Safety equipment like ISO FIX introduced in Honda City

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

2017      New Honda City launched

                Achieves cumulative sales of 7 lakh Honda City in India

                No 1 in JD Power Initial Quality Study

Generation-wise sales of Honda City in India 

Honda City was developed as an Asian model, which became a global brand with presence in 60 countries and has registered cumulative sales of 3.6Mn units globally. The Honda City has been a leader in Quality, being ranked No.1 in the JD Power Initial Quality Study for 15 times during its presence in the Indian market. Product quality, matched by excellent after-sales service at the dealerships, has generated strong positive word of mouth for Honda.

Expansion of Honda business strongly led by Honda City sales

Dealer Network

1998 – 12 dealers in 11 cities

2017 – 349 outlets in 234 cities

Tier 1 Supplier Network

1998 – 57 suppliers

2017 – 221 suppliers

Tier-wise market distribution of Honda City sales (generation wise)

Strong penetration of Honda City in Tier 3 markets in 4^th generation due to large scale Dealer expansion and availability of Diesel variant.