The first generation Honda City was launched back in 1998 as a premium but affordable sedan. Now, it is 22 years old and still going strong.
Honda made its India debut back in 1995 and started its operations at its Greater Noida plant by 1997. A year later, it launched its first car in India. Naturally, the choice was Honda City, a sedan. City was a premium alternative to Maruti Esteem and a rival to Opel Astra and Ford Escort. It was just another sedan with the perfect looks and a good name from around the world.
Gradually, more and more people started buying the City sedan. People got to know that Honda cars are long-lasting, low on maintenance and even fun to drive. Here is a brochure of the first-gen Honda City that we found online. Those were the days where brochures were collected and read by enthusiasts.
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This is not the complete brochure, but just a part of it. The first gen City came with a 1.5 Litre i-VTEC petrol engine that produced 100 PS and did 0-100 km/hr in less than 10 seconds. Its engine was regarded as one of the smoothest and most refined at that time. For the first time, there was an optional automatic gearbox offered as well.
The City was available in a couple of variants, the top-spec trim getting slick silver alloy wheels. It came with many premium features like inbuilt music system, wood finish for the gear shifter, front centre armrest, beige colour fabric seat upholstery, digital clock and much more. It was so premium that we could actually compare it to BMWs and Mercedes at that time.
The first generation Honda City still has a lot of fan attraction in India. Despite the current City having a more powerful engine, the original one was something unique. Some have a thing for it because it can be modified easily, while some just want to keep it in stock condition and enjoy its premium quality.
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Currently, the City is in its fourth generation and Honda is just about to launch the fifth one. For the first three generations of City, there was no diesel engine on offer. The new City will continue with its existing 1.5 Litre i-VTEC and 1.5 Litre i-DTEC engines, the latter finally getting a CVT gearbox as an option.
