2021 Honda City Hatchback launched in Indonesia; will Malaysia be next?

KUALA LUMPUR: As soon as Honda introduced the City Hatchback in Thailand last November, the market started anticipating its arrival in other South-Asian countries. Fast forward to today, the Japanese automaker launched the Honda City Hatchback in Indonesia through a virtual event live streamed on the company’s YouTube channel. 

Unlike Thailand, the Indonesia-spec City Hatchback is available only in a single RS variant. It is powered by a 1.5-litre gasoline engine making 121 hp and 145 Nm, instead of the brand’s dual-motor i-MMD powertrain that will be powering the Malaysian-spec City RS. It is also noted that Indonesia welcomes the hatchback form of the all-new City first, before the sedan model that is already on offer in the local market.

As the brand's latest model carrying the RS emblem, the City Hatchback is designed to be Honda’s signature hatchback in the segment. On the exterior, it features a cutting-edge design with prominent character lines and the latest lamp clusters with full LED headlights, LED fog lights, and rear combination LED tail lights. The front grille, side door mirrors, and shark fin antenna are finished in glossy black color, while the pair of 16-inch sporty alloy wheels are trimmed with black accents for the sporty stance.

Inside, the Indonesia-spec City Hatchback boasts a combination of leather, suede, and fabric upholstery with red accents. Included in the list of hi-tech goodies are a sporty meter cluster with red accents, an 8-inch advanced capacitive touchscreen infotainment system with WebLink and Apple CarPlay support, keyless engine start, single-zone automatic air-conditioning, cruise control, and a multi-angle reverse camera.

The hatchback comes with Honda’s Ultra Seats, offering a variety of seat configurations to maximize comfort and practicality. Also, the car’s keyfob gets a remote engine start feature, which is great to turn on the AC remotely while parked under direct sunlight during the noon hours.

As for safety, the 2021 Honda City Hatchback is designed with a G-CON + ACE frame and is equipped with six airbags. Other safety features on board are ABS with EBD and BA, brake override system, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, parking sensor, emergency stop signal, and so on. Honda LaneWatch available in Thai-spec model is not available here.

Talking about the Honda City Hatchback color choices, the buyer can choose from six available options - Phoenix Orange Pearl, Rallye Red, Crystal Black Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, and Meteoroid Gray Metallic. 

Honda has kept the Honda City Hatchback price in Indonesia undisclosed till the deliveries start next month.

Honda City Hatchback launch in Malaysia

Now, when the Japanese automaker introduced the model in the neighbouring country, the chances of its soon arrival in the local market has increased.

Also read: Win a special edition model in Honda's 1 Million Dreams campaign