All new Honda city is here

The car we have all been waiting for is finally here and from the first looks Honda have not dissapointed one bit.The car is worthy enough to be called the smaller brother of the D-segment Honda civic.

If there is any thing you can pick on Honda its the rear of the car,somehow the futuristic front is not translated at the back.The back is more down to earth and should I dare to say a rather outdated look. We may soon see a facelift shall we.

This car is meant for markets like the US, and Europe and a LHS version of the honda city too as been developed.Honda have reduced the number of variants and now like the civic you just have the E and S variants.Pricing is ofcourse very honda like on the higher side.But hey Honda cars sell well don' they and expect this to do well,so well that perhaps the civic could feel the pinch.

For the details of the car you could check out the ET article,which is nothing but Honda PR at its best.
Honda unveils 3rd generation City in India

Honda india hit by quality problems

Just when toyota is on its quality revoultion is it just coincidence that one of its biggest rivals is hit by quality issues.And yes it is not a one off issue ,alarmingly quality issues are becoming far too common for Honda.

Things like faulty paint to substandard airconditioners are just not acceptable.Thankfully our consumer courts do think the same and Honda has been asked to compensate the consumer in all cases.Honda on its part is not willing to accept its fault and is more intent on settling the issue in courts.

The latest issue was regarding the Honda crv losing power abrubtly and stalling in the middle of the road.This after paying close to 20 lakhs on the vehicle.Similarly somebody else is fighting for faulty paint used on his Honda City.

Rather aptly ET calls it Mistrust rides with Honda[remember the nature rides with Honda campaign]

[source:economictimes]

New Honda city now spotted in China

Autocarindia were right after all.The new honda city is for all to see and guess what it is a stunner.I have no doubts it will sell well.What I also feel is this new car will make it to more markets across the world,one of which should definitely be the US.

The launch well seems like I am wrong by a month.It would be on the roads definitely now in a month or two.Even if you are thiniking of the Honda civic I suggest hang on till the new city hits the roads.

From the malaysian Honda jazz launch the i-dsi engines seem to have been dumped by toyota.Be prepared for the onslaught of the i-vtec's.One thing is for sure expect a steep hike in prices in the new nexy generation honda city.

[source:Paultan.org]

More pictures:

Here

Next generation Honda city to get 1.8L i-vtec engine

A reader of the blog has sent the following tip in one of his comments on the next generation honda city.Unfortunately no name has been given and so I cannot personally thank him for the same.However that said whoever you are thank you very much for the invaluable tip.

I quote his comment as it is

"There will be no 1.3L engine any more.1.5L and 1.8L will take place. 1.5L i-vtec will be the same on the new jazz,and 1.8L will be R18A,just the one on civic sedan."

This will make the Honda civic or the next generation honda city choice even more interesting.Ofcourse no official word from Honda yet in this regard[they are not even acknowledging the fact that the next generation city is in the pipeline forgot about engine configurations].Once I do get a confirmation I shall update all of you.

As far as launch date is concerned seems to have been postponed to november 2008.

Next Generation Honda City:According to Autocarindia

After the spy pictures its now time for some real action and this time it is thanks to autocarindia who have done a brilliant job as far as their computer generated image is concerned.The next generation honda city is now for our viewing pleasure.

Thanks to paul tan for putting up these images on the internet.

The new city definitely does have a sporty touch to it with the design more or less based on the european civic.What I just did not get is those rear tail lamps[look at the spy pictures too].They could definitely have been better and its as though the designers just came down to planet earth while coming up with those tail lamps after designing an out of this world car.

Autocarindia says possible launch date is November 2009 for India.

After seeing this car once again I say who needs the Civic.In size it is definitely bigger than the existing honda city and yes the car is going to be more expensive than the existing honda city.How much is the question.I believe the honda jazz would take the place of the existing honda city in terms of pricing while the newer generation city would go upmarket.

The new honda city would be powered by the i-vtec range of petrol engines[1.3L and 1.5L] which means the existing 1.5L i-dsi engines are in all probability all set to be discontinued.If only honda plonks in their i-ctdi engine into the new honda city.

[image source:Paultan.org originally from autocarindia]

Honda Sources once more confirm launch of all new honda city by year end

Last time it was honda dealers,this time its from sources in Honda itself,the next generation honda city is all set to be launched by the end of the year and India could be one of the first markets where the new car would be sold.

As is Honda policy the present honda city [2008] will be discontinued for the new car.Like all new honda cars the 2009 honda city has grown in size compared to its predecessor and the interiors have been further spruced up.The car has been designed very much keeping in mind the american market and expect honda to sell this car in the US markets as well somewhere in the future.

Honda have decided to bring in the 1.5 i-Vtec engine but whether they discontinue the i-dsi engines for the 1.3 i-vtec's I am not sure atleast in markets like India.

Ofcourse do expect a rise in prices too with this next generation honda city and expect the Honda jazz to fill the gap which would be left by the outgoing honda city.

The car is on test on the roads in India and thanks to team-bhp we were able to spot spy pictures of the car,Please refer this post for more:Next generation Honda city spotted

Now you have no reason to complain that you were uninformed about the new honda city,this blog was amongst the first to report the expected 2009 Honda city launch by the year end[2008].

[Source:Moneycontrol.com]

Honda City resale prices fall drastically

Honda have time and again refused to accept that diesel is the way out in the Indian markets.For a long while they have managed to get away even.But now when times are getting tough even a company like Honda cannot get away any more.

Yes sales of new cars has been down for a while now.But now it is hurting where it hurts the most.For long honda has been proud about the resale value of its cars and even used it as a sales strategy for new cars.But now things have all changed Honda city resale value has fallen by 25-30% and that too just from the date when fuel prices where increased.Honda was always going to be the most affected simply because it had only petrol cars in its portfolio.What is interesting is that according to the report[BS] Honda civic too has been badly hit with everybody in a hurry to sell but relatively fewer buyers for the car in the seconds market.

Is Honda the only company affected no,General motors have been way too slow in adopting diesel into its line-up when it comes to the more mass market cars[leaving aside the tavera].

The ford fiesta too is suffering with the bad resale value and fords problems seem to continue with resale value of their cars.

The huge discounts on the Toyota Corolla and the lack of demand has affected its prices too in the seconds market.The mitsubishi lancer cedia is another car which is not doing well in the seconds market.

For a while it was the golden run of C and D segment cars in India but that run has abruptly come to an end.

According to the report there is an oversupply of the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla ,Honda CRV, Ford Endeavour and the Hyundai Tuscon in the seconds market.

So what are Indian buyers buying now.Well we too have taken to the smaller is better strategy and if at all a bigger car is purchased it is a diesel.Maruti and hyundai are the more popular choices in the seconds market with WagonR, Zen, Alto, M800, Swift, Omni and Hyundai's Santro and Getz being the most sort after.

[source:Business Standard]

Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

The all new 2009 Honda city has finally been spotted and thanks to team-bhp once more for this exclusive.Here are the spy pictures captured by a team-bhpian from Pune city

The front grill and the UP registration more or less indicate that it is from the Honda stables but unlike the jazz there is a difference in A-pillars so cannot confidently say this is the all new Honda city.

.As far as the overall looks are concerned it is a bit disappointing atleast from the spy pics,I am not happy especially with the rear of this car[Oh I know this is becoming a bit too frequent in my posts].But this is more Toyota Vios like.

The new car definitely has grown up indicating that Honda may even consider an american launch of this vehicle.With rising oil prices small cars have come into focus oflate and I have no doubt Honda are seriously considering launching this new city in the american market as well. like more of an effort to appease american customers than the asians.



Now as for the launch the august 2008 global premiere just looks on track. Now you know why Honda has cut prices.

Please visit Team-bhp for the entire coverage and rest of the pictures.:
Next Generation Honda City

Once again confirms why Team-bhp is the best resource for The Indian Automotive Scene.


[Source:Paultan.org ,Team-bhp]
[image source:Paultan.org]

Honda to launch Civic hybrid on June 18th

Everything seems to be going according to plan so far[remember Mr Kuldip Nayar, Chairman of Pinnacle Honda] after the accord launch the civic hybrid launch too has been confirmed.Now only the Next generation honda city launch remains.

Honda will launch its civic hybrid in India on June 18th and it would be available for test-drives at all its 80 dealerships from day one.After all Honda want to showcase this car as honda's commitment to the environment and depending on its success plan the future course for environment friendly vehicles in India.

Although the timing is perfect what is disappointing is the goliathian price tag of approx Rs.20 lakhs plus[and that too not the on road price].

Honda is having a dual strategy in India where it plans to take on the economy segment like the nano and the maruti 800 with its bikes while its cars target the upper segments.

Also read:
Honda civic hybrid- Taking nature for a ride

[source:the hindu]

Update:Now launched with a 1.3L petrol electric engine and a price tag of Rs.21.5 lakhs[ex-showroom]

Honda to launch four new models in Japan this year[2008]

Honda wants to improve its market share in the Japanese market amid rising concerns that the Japanese have lost interest in cars.In order to garner interest Honda plan to launch four new models in the Japanese domestic market this year[2008].Honda are targeting a 15% marketshare by doing so.

The first of these four models is said to be an all new minivan and would be launched in just a few days time,May 29th 2008 to be precise.This minivan is supposedly called the Freed.It is built on the same platform as the all new honda jazz/fit and can seat upto eight people but in terms of dimensions should not be much longer than the Honda city and is being called a mini "mini-van"[the double usage is intentional].
An artists rendering of the new minivan

Now such a vehicle would be ideal for countries like India too and since it is based on the Honda jazz and city platform not be that difficult for Honda to manufacture in India even.The only problem which I can see is the lack of a diesel option which would most certainly kill the product in India.Even then given the honda brand name in India it may be able to sell a few in honda's stronghold the north indian markets[north india accounts for 40% of honda's sales].But worry not Honda's Ogawa[japan] engine factory is all set to be up and running by the first half of 2009 and apart from petrol engines it will also spin out diesel engines.Now whether that means we will see smaller diesel engines in cars like the honda city and the jazz is anybody's guess but there is certainly something to be optimistic about.

Actual interiors of the mini-minivan

Now as for the rest of the cars to be launched this year by Honda,yes you guessed it right one of them will most certainly be the next generation Honda fit aria or the Honda city as we know it here.AS for the rest I have a feeling one of them is already launched in the form of the all new jazz[however I am not sure if two entirely new models are in the pipeline as well].

[Source:Bloomberg]
[image source:edmunds.com]

More details about Skoda's new cheap sedan and small car

In my earlier post I have talked about skoda coming up with a c-sedan segment taking on the likes of the Honda city,Chevrolet aveo, the suzuki sx4 and the Hyundai Verna/Accent.Some more details have come up courtesy autoexpress UK.

For starters the price tag,skoda plan to make the sedan keeping in mind the £10,000 tag[roughly Rs.8.5 lakhs].Although at this price it would come with AC and power windows expect skoda to skimp on all other goodies and expect this new sedan to be more on the lines of the earliest generation octavia[not the ones available in India],even in terms of size as well.

As far as how the car is,it is said to be based on the seat bolero platform A spy picture I post from the autoexpress website.

This new sedan would be sold worldwide by skoda and yes that means emerging markets like India and China as well apart from the traditional market of skoda in the european countries.This car would be powered by the tried and trusted 1.9TDi diesel and 2.0L petrol engines although the VW group are also considering smaller and more frugal engines as well.

Whether this new sedan would be called the new Octavia I am not so sure.But that looks unlikely.



Spy picture of the seat bolero hatch again from autoexpress.Now the seat bolero would be available both as a hatchback and a sedan and it its this very hatchback which could be the basis for skoda cheap hatchback as well.This hatchback to is expected by 2010 and is supposedly going to debut in the Indian markets first and then there will be a global launch.The price tag for this hatch is supposedly between Rs.3-5 lakhs.


[Source:autoexpress.co.uk]
[image source: Autoexpress UK]

Honda cuts sales targets for the year

This year has not really been good for Honda.Newer rivals and overall a negative market sentiment have meant that its bread and butter model the Honda city is not selling as much as Honda expected it to.

Honda had an ambitious target of achieving 90,000 units for this calender year but this target just looks more or less an unlikely proposition.Honda has had a see-saw year with sales rising and falling every other month.Whether the new Honda city[next generation] brings about a change in this trend is what we have to wait and see.

Honda are looking at winning over the enviornmentalists with the launch of the civic hybrid later this year.However even with the excise cut for hybrids the civic hybrid would command a significant premium over its petrol counterpart.On the plus point you feel have done your bit for the enviornment and also get 60% better fuel efficiency than the petrol variant[though I suggest if its the latter proposition which attracts you more,you are better off looking at cheaper diesels from rivals]

For 2009 however Honda are banking on the Jazz[honda's small car].This car is expected by 2009 end by which time the Rajasthan plant should be up and running.But what Honda should learn from Skoda[Fabia] is that a high priced hatchback may not necessarily bring in volumes even if it has a brand name attached to it.

What Honda really needs is a diesel engine in the mass market segment and a sensible pricing strategy.

Honda City problems and how dealerships can harm a brand

Following is a list of problems faced by praskamat.This was originally posted on mouthshut.com and the original link is here:Mouthshut.com

Once again I want to highlight the importance of companies understanding that for the customer dealerships are the face of the company and any frustrations/bad experiences or even unpleasant behavior harm the company.As for Linkway Honda,I think this is not the first such story from them and nothing really seems to be changing hence I am posting this here.

Below is what praskamat has to say:
******************************************************************************

This extract is to voice my grievances about my car purchased from Linkway Honda (Chandivali, Mumbai, India) showroom.

I had bought a Honda City ZX VTEC in May, 2007. Obviously, my car is not yet even a year old.

Below is a series of major problems I faced with my vehicle, all due to technical faults & snags.
All the problems started occurring just after the first servicing, other than normal three services in 9 months.
Here are the instances for which why I had to show my brand new vehicle the garage door ever so often (these are as reported as the reasons by the service center):
1. 1st Service
a. loose bolt on the right side (Humming sound at the front right side wheel)
b. fuel pump malfunctioning (engine stalls abruptly)

2. 2nd Service
a. Snags in installation of security system, alarms went off haphazardly as it was not configured correctly (only after 3rd attempt in 3 weeks it was fixed)
b. Clutch plate damage along with other interfacing parts, whole assembly was damaged/burnt. I had reported burning smell after the 1st service, but was told that there is no problem with the car. (I was also told that my driving style is not correct, NOTE I have been driving for past 6 years and my previous cars had no undue maintenance. And for last 3 years I have been driving on the same route to office and back home)

3. 3rd Service
a. Could not install the blue tooth accessories, as no experience and skills available to fix the same.
b. Loose wiring resulting in no ignition current and battery drainage. Reason cited: wiring damaged by rats.
4. Bad servicing efforts: unclean dashboards, mirrors, glasses. Finger marks and stains abound the interiors of my car which I personally keep painstakingly clean. Some interesting drawings were spotted around the dashboard too, which were cleaned only after bringing it to the notice of the service advisor.

The above extract might surprise you as much as I had a rude shock with my purchase decision. As a result, my confidence in the brand named "HONDA" has gone down to zilch. More so, with the dealer "LinkWay Honda" based in Chandivali, Mumbai.

I also have specific concerns with the sales staff at this particular dealer.
Their so-called "most efficient" sales person happens to be completely ignorant about the technical specs about Honda’s vehicle models. At the same time, she is totally insensitive to the customer needs and called me at various instances urging me to "compromise’ on my specifications regarding color, model, desired vehicle number etc. For personal reasons, I had certain preferences on these factors, and I had made it clear at the very onset that I am inclined to make a purchase only if I get my preferences satisfied. Not only did she go back on her commitment, but also wasted a lot of my time in useless negotiations and altercations.
I was certainly not expecting this from a sales person of an automobile brand who is known world-wide for their curt service and customer-friendly attitude. I had reported this earlier through the customer feedback process.
At the same time, I’d like to mention about another person, the service advisor, who by far has been the only one to keep my trust with Linkway going steady. I interact with him directly and have been able to get my vehicle back on road only thanks to his efforts and timely help at each instance.

All said, this just DOES NOT justify the fact that I need to show my brand new vehicle the garage door every so often. This is something I find totally unacceptable to come the way of the most popular C-segment car on road.
I am now in the plan of disposing off my car while it still stands on its (almost) last leg. Frankly, I am debating whether it was a blunder to consider the HONDA as an option at all, and if all of the features are only hype. But I am most certainly decided on not dealing with Linkway as a dealer at all. They seriously lack in technical efficiency, standardized sales process & satisfactory after sales services.

I am hoping that this extract receives maximum exposure on this portal from current and prospective car owners. I would urge you to reconsider before dealing with such dealers.
I am an ardent driver and frequently go on long drives. However, the above series of incidents has led me to completely mistrust Honda car and switch my loyalty back to FIAT which has provided me much superior satisfaction during the 4 years that I extensively used it. I have also used Maruti Esteem for 2 years as well.

Toyota Fortuner could be here soon

While speculation is rife that Toyota is going to launch the Fortuner in India soon,what has added fuel to the theory is the NDTV coverage of the Thailand motor show,where NDTV strongly hinted about a possible launch of the Fortuner soon in India.

What could spoil the party is the price tag.NDTV suggest it could initially only be assembled here and then according to demand could be manufactured in India at a later date.The Fortuner would thus be competing more with the Honda CRV,Chevrolet Captiva and the likes.The question is would you shell out a hefty premium for a vehicle which shares a major percentage of its DNA with the Innova.

The recent ad spree by toyota inspite of the Innova doing very well the previous month has got a few to suggest that a new vehicle is due soon.Whether its the fortuner,the new corolla or even a facelifted/an all new Innova is anybody's guess.

Update:
The latest is that Toyota plan to launch the fortuner only by 2009[between june-september to be precise],pricing expected within the range of Rs.16-20 lakhs.

PS:Sticking to the NDTV coverage of the Thai motor show,even NDTV confirmed the launch of the next generation honda city by the end of the year.

Buying a second hand car- Prefer a Japanese one

One more reason as to why Japanese cars should be on top of the list if you are hunting for a second hand car.Warranty direct UK conducted a survey and as expected its the Japanese vehicles which top the list.

The Toyota Avensis Verso has topped the list as the most preferred used car in britain.Unfortunately this car is not available in India.The closest we have is the Toyota Innova.Next is the nissan x-trail and the Honda jazz.Again the jazz is not yet available in India but its sibling[same platform] the Honda city is available and we know its popularity in the seconds market.

Honda had most number of cars in the list and overall all japanese manufacturers did well.The germans were not very far away either.So whats the conclusion looking out for a second hand car preferably stay away from the american manufacturers.

World premiere of the all new Honda city in August 2008 in Thailand

Update:
Please read:
Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Yes now that the jazz has been launched in thailand news is that honda is all set for the world premiere of the all new honda city in august 2008 in thailand.


The jazz which shares the same platform with the honda city now gets a i-vtec engine something which will also make it to the indian markets.Honda will replace the present 1.5L vtec with 1.5L i-vtec engines.I cannot say how much Honda will cut down on power in India in order to compensate for fuel efficiency and indian fuel.But right now the tech specs are very impresive.
120ps@6600rpm and torque is 148Nm @4800rpm. What is also not know is whether honda will replace the present i-dsi engines with the new 1.3L i-vtec engines which are also pretty impressive at 100ps.Or if honda only bring in the 1.3L i-vtec to india.Many engine combinations are possible and I am not in a postion to predict which one we will get in India.The wheelbase is increased further in the new jazz which means the interiors would get even more spacious in the all new honda city.

While right now it would be exported to australia,malaysia and phillipines,it will come to our markets a little later since it would be manufactured here as well.


Regarding the new Honda city it could be here in India by the year end and going by the interiors of the new jazz honda civic owners are going to feel a bit shortchanged.


Noticed from the pictures of the jazz,the all new Honda city is going to get huge quarter glasses up front like the suzuki sx4.

[image source:bkkautos.com]

Also read:
Honda confirms all new Honda city launch by end of this year

Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Preferably don't buy these cars in 2008

If you have any plans to buy the Skoda fabia this year I suggest you wait for a year if resale value is important to you.VW [skoda's Parent company] say that they will lower costs of the Fabia by manufacturing the fabia at the chakan plan [while VW plan to delay their debut vehicle in India to 2010].Skoda have already done this with the Laura where later on they launched cheaper models which severely affected resale value of the cars which were already sold.I came across one such Laura owner who says he lost close to 6-7 Lakhs in resale value in just an 8 month old car.

However I must add that nothing wrong with Skoda cars,infact the Octavia[Laura as we know it here] has just been voted the best car in the UK for the second consecutive year.Octavia[Laura in India] drivers are the most satisfied lot in terms of reliability,build quality,running costs and ease of driving.Skoda beat rivals like Honda,Toyota,BMW,Mercedes for the second consecutive year.The Fabia too should be more or less on these lines and will definitely not disappoint you. If the car is going to be with you for a long time or you are not bothered about resale value please do go ahead with your purchase decision.

But the case with the cars I discuss next is a bit different.In these cars you will see a major revamp pretty soon.

1>.The first car in the list is the present Toyota corolla which is currently one generation behind its main rival the Honda civic.It is confirmed that you will get the next generation in India in 2008[maybe a diesel option as well].

2>.The next car in the list is the Honda city.You can see pretty much the push both the company as well as dealers are giving to increase sales since a major revamp of the Honda city is expected by the end of the year[2008].You will be left with a model which would be one generation behind in just a matter of few months.

Now I go back to the title I say preferably because you could also take advantage of this situation since all the above mentioned cars are great cars as well and dealers would be pushing for sales by adding incentives for you to buy these cars.But yes you must be ready to accept the fact that you will be driving an outdated model soon.

If you ask me what is the best alternative at this moment ,well I suggest the Hyundai Verna CRDi.It is a relatively safe bet and a good car with good mileage[FE.].In case of a petrol car I suggest the Maruti SX4.I don't expect any drastic change very soon to either of the two.The Toyota Corolla is not in the C segment and its alternative would be the Honda Civic which too should not see anything drastic soon.

Update 1:
In the don't buy list I am adding the Skoda octavia,for reasons please refer to this post,Next generation Skoda Octavia due in 2009 .Also the more modern VW jetta is expected soon.I would avoid the Laura too for the moment since a price correction could be possible but I am not 100% sure and hence am not placing it in the don't buy list.Alternatives I suggest the Optra Magnum.


Update 2:
NDTV confirms launch of the next generation honda city by the end of the year[2008].

Update 3:
The hyundai getz is a car in the don't buy list since the all new I20 is expected by the year end.Search the post for more details.Alternative ford fusion diesel.

Update 4:
With competition expected to catch up with Toyota in the form of the mahindra ingenio and the tata Xover expect something drastic from Toyota,from talks of launching a cheaper UV to even discontinuing the present innova doing the rounds I suggest you go slow and postpone your buy.No alternative buys suggested for the moment.

Update5:
Mahindra Renault Logan is a new addition to the list,a Facelifted model is expected soon.

Update6:
Maruti to replace the alto with the A-star.

The don't buy cars list for 2008:
1>.Honda City
2>.Toyota Corolla
3>.Hyundai Getz
4>.Skoda Octavia
5>.Skoda Fabia
6>.Toyota Innova
7>.Mahindra Renaul Logan
8>.Maruti Suzuki Alto


Also read:
Honda confirms all new Honda city launch by end of this year

Also read:
Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Toyota sedan to have a 1.5L engine

I did talk about the possibility of a C segment sedan in India from Toyota in a few years time and there are hints that the sedan could be powered by a 1.5L petrol engine.Regarding the diesel engine I am not sure yet.

Toyota is planning a 1.5L petrol engine plant in Japan which would be ready by 2010.Right now the 1.5L engine is proving a popular choice round the world due to its frugal nature for Toyota.

Honda is enjoying success with the 1.5L engine in India with the Honda City sedan.Looks like Toyota is all set to use the same strategy employed by Honda.In case of petrol engines rivals like Maruti,Ford,Chevrolet,Hyundai,Mahindra Renault have 1.6L engines for their C segment sedans[Ford,Chevrolet,Mahindra Renault also have a 1.4L engine option].

Also read:
Toyota may introduce more than a single model in small car space

Honda confirms all new Honda city launch by end of this year

Update:
Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

This time its straight from one of the Honda dealers

Honda Siel Cars India Ltd will launch a new version of its Accord in May-June this year. Honda has also lined up the launch of a hybrid version of the Honda Civic and a new version of the Honda City in the months thereafter, according to Mr Kuldip Nayar, Chairman of Pinnacle Honda,

Mr Nayar said Honda is also working on plans to launch a “small car” in India by 2009-10.

Mr Nayar said by the end of the current fiscal Honda Siel Cars India hopes to sell 66,000 Honda units in the country.

Expect the all new Honda city around Diwali time and if the 2009 Honda fit is anything to go by expect this to be the killer blow from Honda in the C-segment.The interiors are good enough to put even D-segment cars to shame.The civic hybrid should be around earlier than that.

[Source:Moneycontrol.com]

Update:
NDTV confirms launch of the next generation honda city by the end of the year[2008].

Also read:
Preferably don't buy these cars in 2008

World premiere of the all new Honda city in August 2008 in Thailand

Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Honda adds new features to the Honda city

It looks like the next generation Honda city is coming real soon,in an attempt to boost sales of the Honda city ,honda shall now add the following features:

The Exi variant will now get body coloured mirrors and door handles.The Gxi variant will now get alloy wheels.

This is the second time Honda have added extra features in a space of less than a few months.Price rise if any has so far not been known,will update you on that.

The next generation Jazz would be here in India by 2009 atleast so Honda just cannot continue with this older generation city and would be bringing in an all new generation honda city very soon.This is honda's way of boosting sales instead of adding discounts which I must say is a much better way than what other manufacturers[toyota included] resort to.

Also read:
Honda confirms all new Honda city launch by end of this year