The new Honda City will add a new dimension to Honda’s light car range, meeting consumer demand for smaller, more fuel efficient cars and will complement Honda’s current light hatch, the Jazz.

The City sedan will be introduced into the light car segment which has grown in volume by 33 per cent since 2005. Sedans occupy 13.7 per cent of this segment, up from 7.9 per cent in 2005 for an overall increase of 73 per cent.

The production version of the City is manufactured in Thailand (like many Honda models) and will go on sale in Australia from February, 2009.

Honda Australia’s Managing Director, Mr. Yasuhide Mizuno, says the Honda City will be a new direction in the light sedan segment, unlike any other sedan.

"The City’s appeal is in its styling – a fun-to-drive car with a sporty persona. It has a very spacious interior and will be packed with safety features."

"It will offer sporty styling, excellent performance as well as being fuel efficient – features that consumers demand from this segment," Mr. Mizuno said.

The production version of the City is powered by a 1.5 litre EURO4 compliant engine that delivers 88 kW @ 6,600 rpm and 146 Nm @ 4,700 rpm, the same as the 1.5 litre Jazz VTi and VTi-S. Fuel consumption and emissions are set to be low.