According to a new report from The Economic Times,
Honda Cars India will launch a hybrid variant of the City and it could offer an
electric powertrain here for the first time in an SUV. A source familiar with Honda’s
plans for electrified vehicles in India has told The Economic Times that
“hybrid solution on City sedan is defined”.
The business news publication has
reported on a hybrid variant of the sedan for over half a year now, but it was
only in September that a report from Autocar India clarified that the company
is planning a mild-hybrid variant for India, not a full-hybrid variant, which
is already available in Asian markets.
The mild-hybrid variant of the Honda City will
become available in India only after the next full model change, which is due
in 2020. The Japanese automaker foresees a full-hybrid powertrain being too
expensive for our market. No incentive from the government for hybrid vehicles
is another deterring factor in introducing locally manufactured HEVs here.
As for electric vehicles, Honda plans to launch the
first model in India by 2023-2024, four people aware of the company’s plans
have revealed. “The EV solution for a B-segment car or an SUV is part of the
plan,” one source said. The basic idea is to have a low-cost model that offers
a driving range of 150-200 km.
