Exclusive: 2020 Honda City recalled in Thailand, deliveries put on hold

IndianAutosBlog.com has learnt that the 2020 Honda City has been recalled and its deliveries have been put on hold in Thailand, which is its first market. The all-new model was launched in the country at 2019 Thai Motor Expo on 25 November 2019. Refer to price of honda city Thailand.

Honda is battling with quality concerns globally. In the recent past, the company had issues with the electric parking brake of the new generation Honda N-WGN and the new generation Honda Jazz (Honda Fit) in Japan, because of which it had to stop the former's production temporarily and postpone the latter's launch. Now, in Thailand, the new generation Honda City is facing delays.

IndianAutosBlog.com has accessed a document sent by Honda to its Thai dealers instructing to hold the deliveries of the 2020 Honda City until further notice. The company has asked them to even get back the units delivered. It has recognised a fault with the window run channel, the rubber strip that is found around the windows on the doors. It is investigating the issue and will inform the dealers regarding the same once it has an update.

ArrayThe fifth generation Honda City has been developed in Thailand and it’s currently manufactured at the Ayutthaya plant in the country. Later this year, the Tapukara plant in India and the Yorii plant in Japan should also start making the latest model. The Indian launch was previously said to take place by March, but now the second half of the year is being reported to be the timeline. Japan will likely be the first market to get the all-new model with a full-hybrid powertrain, which will be an all-new, twin-motor one.

>>> Read more: Price of honda city thailand 2020 

The Thai-made 2020 Honda City packs features like LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels, LED tail lights, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, eight speakers, cruise control, six airbags and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA). The list doesn’t include rear AC vents, sunroof, wireless smartphone charger, digital instrument cluster, rear parking sensors and many other features offered in rivals. However, expect some of them to be offered in the India-made version.

Under the hood, there’s a 1.0L V-TEC Turbo engine linked to a CVT. The turbocharged three-cylinder petrol mill develops 122 PS at 5,500 rpm and 173 Nm of torque at 2,000-4,500 rpm. The fuel economy rating is 23.8 km/l and the fuel tank capacity is 40 litres. The redesigned model is 4,553 mm long, 1,748 mm wide and 1,467 mm tall. It has a 2,589 mm wheelbase and a 135 mm ground clearance.

The Indian-spec 2020 Honda City will have higher ground clearance. It will be offered with 1.5L petrol and diesel engines linked to a 5-speed (petrol)/6-speed (diesel) manual transmission as standard or a CVT as an option. With the outgoing model priced from INR 9,91,000 (ex-showroom Delhi), expect the all-new model to cost ~INR 10,50,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) onwards.