PaulTan.org: 2014 Honda City launched in Thailand – two airbags and VSA standard, six airbags an option

Not for us in North America, it's basically a 4dr Honda FIT/Jazz....

by Anthony Lim of www.paultan.org

Following the 2014 Honda City‘s global market debut in India just over two weeks ago, the car has now made its ASEAN debut in Thailand, with six variants priced from 550,000 baht.

All variants are powered by a 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine, which can also run on E85 fuel. It produces 117 hp at 6,000 rpm and 146 Nm of torque at 4,700 rpm (in India, 117 hp at 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 4,600 rpm). Save for the baseline variant which has a five-speed manual gearbox, the new Honda City now comes with a seven-step CVT gearbox, replacing the outgoing model‘s five-speed automatic.

The six variants of the Thai-market Honda City consist of the S MT, which is priced at 550,000 baht (RM55,650), the S AT at 589,000 baht (RM59,600), the V at 649,000 baht (RM65,670), the V+ at 689,000 baht (RM69,720), the SV at 734,000 baht (RM74,270) and the SV+, which goes for 749,000 baht (RM75,790).

Like the Indian-market City, the interior features a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which supports a smartphone interface, and an automatic air-conditioning system with a touch-control panel for the SV and SV+ variants (the other variants get manual AC and a standard audio system). The triple gauges are illuminated by blue light rings and house a multi-information display on the V, V+, SV and SV+ versions – the baseline S has amber illumination.

Other features include keyless entry with push-start ignition and a multi-function steering wheel with paddle shifters, cruise control, audio control switches and a hands-free telephone switch for the SV and SV+.

Unlike the rather bare Indian-spec car, all Thai variants come with good safety features as standard – ABS brakes, VSA stability control, Hill Start Assist and Emergency Stop Signal. Let’s hope the same goes for the Malaysian-spec car.

The V+ and SV+ variants include an upgrade to the standard safety specs, adding i-Side airbags and side curtain airbags to the mix, bringing the total airbag count to six. The ‘+’ in the model name also adds a multi-angle rearview camera with three-level adjustment.

There are seven colour choices for the car – Modern Steel Grey (metallic), Carnelian Red (pearl), Crystal Black (pearl), Alabaster Silver (metallic), Taffeta White are joined by two new shades, these being Brilliant Sporty Blue (metallic) and Golden Brown (metallic).

Honda Automobile Thailand is targeting sales of 60,000 units of the new City per year. This should of course aid Honda’s cause in the 2014 passenger car sales race – Honda overtook Toyota in Thai passenger car sales for the first time ever in 2013.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2014/01/23/2014-honda-city-launched-in-thailand/

Next Gen Honda City Revealed

Honda has unveiled the next-generation City today and the unveiling had happened in New Delhi. This is the first time that a City has been unveiled in India than Thailand. This is the fourth-generation City for India and this will be the first one to come plonked with a diesel engine. The first generation made its way into India in 1998 and since then it has been one of the best sellers for Honda and also the segment-leader until the petrol prices shot up and the sales of diesel cars increased.

Source;
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cd/new-honda-city-unveiled-cardekho-gets-funding-113120200542_1.html

New Honda Odyssey MPV – now taller, with sliding doors, coming to Malaysia before the end of 2013

by Paul Tan of www.paultan.org

Honda surprised us today by teasing the first photos of the all new Honda Odyssey. With the new generation, the Odyssey’s formula has been significantly tweaked – it now has a taller roofline and gets sliding doors for the rear.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a tall Japanese market Honda Odyssey – the first two generations followed this ‘van’ formula, then the third gen and fourth gen became ‘low riders’, very much like 7 seater wagons. Note that the JDM market Odyssey and the American market Odyssey are different cars.

I guess Honda figured out that the successful Toyota Estima formula worked better and has decided to compete directly against it, instead of offering an alternative.

Honda’s other JDM MPVs all have tall rooflines – the Elysion which competes against the Alphard, the Stepwgn which goes against the Noah, and the Honda Freed. A tall roofline certainly does wonders to ease movement within the cabin, and I suppose it also makes makes the cabin feel roomier.

You have the option for two reclining captain seats in the second row or a proper 3 seater bench. You can have it in either 2WD or 4WD forms (What!?!?), with a CVT transmission. That’s all Honda has revealed so far.

The new Odyssey will probably be available with a 2.4 litre engine like the generation before it, but since it has a larger body now will Honda offer a 3.5 litre as well?

Honda Malaysia sold the third generation Honda Odyssey here, but skipped the fourth generation. But good news to car buyers with families – the Odyssey is coming back. This fifth generation will be coming to Malaysia by the end of the year through official channels, so you won’t have to buy grey.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2013/09/26/2013-honda-odyssey-unveiled-now-taller-sliding-doors/

Scoop: Honda Mobilio makes an appearance on Indonesian roads

(Not for North America)

Based on the same platform as Brio and Amaze.

Honda is using the Brio platform quite effectively. After tasting success with the Brio hatchback and Amaze sedan, the Japanese carmaker is ready to bring out the next product.

Called Honda Mobilio, it's an MPV based on the same platform. It was showcased at the Indonesia International Motor Show before making an appearance on the streets of Indonesia. The leaked brochure pictures suggested the MPV will be available in three variants. Engine options include a 1.5-litre VTEC motor (which is used in the Honda City) for the Indonesian market and in all likeliness, a 1.5-litre i-DTEC unit (the one from Amaze) in addition to that for the Indian market. A manual gearbox will be part of standard equipment while a CVT gearbox will be available on the top-spec variant, when it goes on sale in Indonesia. 

Production of the Mobilio begins in January next year while the sales in Indonesia will commence in 2014 itself.

Source;

http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail/scoop-honda-mobilio-makes-an-appearance-on-indonesian-roads/4774

Paultan.org; Honda City E+ – the City VA gets a new name

by Anthony Lim of www.paultan.org

Remember that limited run variant called the Honda City VA from March? The Value Added, as it was called, was limited to just 300 units and featured a built-in GPS multimedia system, leather seats and window film as standard.

Well, the car is back, as a quick check on Honda Malaysia’s website reveals. It’s now known as the City E+, and aside from the moniker change, it’s very much the same car.

The black leather upholstery with grey stitching and embossed ‘City’ logos on the front seats, an integrated 7-inch touchscreen DVD player/navigation system with iPod connectivity and Bluetooth hands-free telephony, rear view camera and solar/security window tint film as found on the VA is all here, so only the suffix badging has changed.

Actually, the only change – aside from the variant name – is with the price, in this case by RM300. The City VA was priced at RM93,480 on-the-road with insurance, and moving on to the City E+ takes it to RM93,780, also OTR, a RM2,800 jump over the City E version. There’s mention elsewhere that like its predecessor, the E+ is also a limited 300-unit run.

The downloadable brochure adds that for RM500, a five-piece accessories package can be had, the items consisting of a ducktail spoiler, special carpet mats, door visors, scuff plate and a trunk tray, if such things catch your fancy.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2013/06/25/honda-city-e-the-city-va-gets-a-new-name/

Honda Amaze interiors spied

by Venkat Desirazu

The Honda Amaze is one of the most eagerly anticipated compact sedans in the Indian market and has been a hot topic of discussion in motoring communities across the country. A while ago Team-bhp brought us pictures of the car at a dealership. Now they have managed to get pictures of the interiors of the Japanese automakers highly anticipated sedan.

We have been saying for many months now that the Amaze shares many of its components with the Brio hatchback and this has turned out to be completely true. The Amaze has the same dashboard as the Brio complete with the two-tone design. It has the same instrument cluster, music system as well as HVAC controls. The front and back seats still have the integrated headrests and are in a light shade of beige with brown cushions.

The backseat uses the same colour combination due to the change in design (hatch to compact sedan) looks a lot more spacious than its non-booted cousin. Both headroom and legroom in the back look to be pretty decent for two people and while a third person can fit in the back, it will be a bit of a squeeze. The model that has been spied is the top-end VX petrol, so we can expect that in the lower spec models, the interiors will be quite spartan.

As we have said before, the Amaze will Honda’s first diesel car for the Indian market. It will be powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged i-DTEC diesel engine which produces 90bhp. This has been derived from the 1.6-litre Earthdreams diesel mill that was unveiled last year. The petrol variant will use a 1.2-litre mill which produces 88bhp and 109Nm of torque. This engine also powers the Jazz and the Brio.

Source;
http://www.carwale.com/news/10212-honda-amaze-interiors-spied.html

Honda Malaysia; New Honda City VA for RM93.5k – limited to 300 units!

A new limited run variant of the Honda City has just popped up on Honda Malaysia’s Facebook page and website! Called the City VA – for Value Added – the new model is limited to just 300 units, and features a built-in GPS multimedia system, leather seats and window film as standard.

The City VA is priced at RM93,480 on the road with insurance, a RM2,500 premium over the higher-spec (of the two launch variants) Grade E model. The most significant upgrade is the inclusion of Honda’s own entertainment and navigation system – a neatly integrated touchscreen unit housed within the dash’s fascia.

Honda’s new touch-controlled, voice-guided satellite navigation system supports a high-resolution map and 3D city-view. The unit also includes a DVD and MP3 player, iPod AUX/USB ports and a rear view camera, on top of the built-in Bluetooth hands-free connectivity.

Other new features are the black leather upholstery with grey stitching and embossed ‘City’ logos on the front seats, and standard-fit solar protection window tinting for the glasshouse.

Virtually nothing’s changed on the outside. The VA comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, front foglamps, wing mirror-mounted turn signals and a chromed exhaust finisher. The only difference to the Grade E is the deletion of chrome door handles, which are now body-coloured.

Speaking of colour, 200 of the VA will be painted in Tafetta White, the other 100 in Polished Metal (grey). The Honda City VA is now available for viewing at all Honda showrooms. A five-year unlimited warranty is included, with six free labour services, up to 100,000 km. As per the Grade E, ABS, EBD, BA, VSA and dual airbags are fitted too.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2013/03/15/new-honda-city-va-for-rm93-5k-limited-to-300-units/