New Honda City 2008 set to arrive on December to Malaysia

COME December, Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd will be rolling out the latest-generation Honda City.

The new model, with a rising beltline, is slightly longer but lower compared with the current model, imparting a “well proportioned” and a shaper “arrowshot” appearance.

It also gets flushed headlights and grille combination, which borrowed some styling cues from the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle.

Unveiled to the Malaysian media at Honda’s R&D facility in Ayutthaya, Thailand, recently, the City comes with a 120bhp 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine and a five-speed automatic transmission, promising a good balance of power and fuel economy.

The powertrain system is similar to that in the recently launched Honda Jazz.

The City is equipped with electric power steering system and a steering wheel with paddle shifters.

Honda R&D Co chief engineer and Large Project Leader for the new City, Takeshi Nakamura, said while the roofline of the new City was lower, the car was getting a longer wheelbase which made for a roomier interior.

“The nose of the City is designed to be sharper than most sedans in the 1.5-litre segment for a unique powerful appearance,” he said.

The dashboard is a new design with a mix of light and dark colours, with metallic effect on the centre console and interior door trim inserts.

The boot space is also larger than the previous City.

Another feature that is seldom found in small sedans is the rear seat that has a 60:40 split backrest with a two-angle adjustment.

Safety features includes dual front airbags, anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist.

Honda claims the pedestrian safety feature of the City has also been enhanced.