Here’s a surprise! Honda Malaysia has posted a teaser on its social media, and it’s for the Honda City Hatchback. No shady disguise this time – the new model is fully shown. The caption HM used on FB reads “Move aside. Y? Because This. Is. It”. Toyota used “Life needs a Y” for the Yaris launch – go figure.
UPDATE: The City Hatchback is now open for booking in Malaysia – details here
In case you didn’t realise, the latest fifth-generation City has a five-door hatchback sibling, which is effectively the replacement for the third-gen Jazz in our region. This B-segment hatchback is expected to have the same powertrains as the City sedan, and will go head-to-head with the Toyota Yaris, which is of course the hatchback sister of the Vios.
The City Hatchback made its world debut in Thailand late last year. There, the City sedan and hatch are Thai eco cars with a 1.0 litre three-cylinder turbo engine (122 PS/173 Nm) paired to a CVT. An e:HEV RS hybrid joined the Thai hatch range in June this year, with the Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid system and sporty RS looks, just like our City e:HEV RS.
Over in Indonesia, the City Hatchback was launched in March this year, in sole RS form. But unlike in Thailand, the model does not have to do eco duties (Brio is Honda’s LCGC offering there) and therefore comes with a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine that makes 121 PS/145 Nm. This DOHC i-VTEC unit is our City’s engine, but Indonesians get an extra six-speed manual option on top of the CVT.
The teaser above shows the City Hatchback in RS trim and with an e:HEV badge on the boot, so we know for sure that there will be a hybrid City Hatchback. Our guess is that Malaysia will also be getting the new model with the 1.5L NA engine and CVT, as per the non-hybrid City sedan.
The City Hatchback is essentially the sedan without a boot. At 4,345 mm long (4,349 mm with RS bumpers), it’s 208 mm shorter than the sedan, while the 1,488 mm height is up 21 mm. No difference in width and wheelbase, which remain at 1,748 mm and 2,589 mm respectively. Compared to the outgoing Jazz, the City Hatch is longer and wider, but less tall. The Jazz’s wheelbase is 59 mm shorter.
Click on the links above to check out the what our Thai and Indonesian friends get. What do you think of the new City Hatchback?
GALLERY: Honda City Hatchback RS, Indonesia spec
