Honda starts the year on a high note

Honda City 1500 unveiled at the Glorietta Center in Makati City.

Call it Honda’s new year salvo. Beating its competitors to the draw with a bold marketing shot, Honda Cars Philippines launched the 2009 version of its pint-sized hot seller, the City. Boasting an array of technological marvels such as F1-inspired paddle shifter, anti-brake lock system with electronic brake force distribution and the powerful, yet fuel-efficient i-VTEC engine, the all-new City or Fit Aria is Honda’s answer to an emerging shift toward smaller, gas-misers in the local auto market. “The car retained its compact form, made the interior more spacious, yet we maintained its maneuverability. The introduction of the City completes our i-VTEC lineup,” says Hiroshi Shimizu, president and general manager of Honda Cars Philippines Inc.

The front-end of this third-generation variant features a protruding nose, blacked-out wide headlamps and a grille design that flows to the sides giving the City a wider, more appealing face. Design engineer Takeshi Nakamura, large project head of the City, revealed that Honda broke off from the traditional sedan design and chose to have a shortened rear end design. “The visual effect of the cut off styling tail makes the rear end shorter and more dynamic looking. The multiple rear combination lights adopt the shape of an arrow’s feathers, expressing an aerodynamic appearance, as if cutting through the wind,” Nakamura said.

Despite the City’s kinship to the Jazz, this sedan version has a totally different dashboard design. The steering wheel may look familiar, but the dashboard and instrument layout is visually appealing. The center console is idiot-proof, as the audio and climate control systems are within reach and easy to operate. Engineers also maximized interior space by putting in a variety of convenient and multi-purpose storage areas all around the cabin. The trunk capacity has been raised to accommodate 506 liters of cargo, or three golf bags of 9 diameters each.

Walk through time

The first Honda City was launched at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show as a three-door hatchback. It was one of the first tall hatchbacks of its day, whose design element was to have a big interior without hugging too much road space.

The City was intended to be sold in Japan only. Its popularity in the Japanese market prompted Mugen to develop a turbo version City, which was used by enthusiasts to compete in one-make races. Both the first- and second- generation City was sold for the Japanese market up to 1996.

Honda expanded the target market of the City and introduced the SX8, which later became known as the first-generation Honda City geared for the global market.

The introduction of the 2009 City reinforces Honda’s strong presence in the passenger car segment. “The City’s overall value for money character is our strong point to make it successful in the local market. It will be built in our Sta. Rosa plant as a testament of Honda’s confidence in local manufacturing and as a commitment to the Filipino people,” says Shimizu.