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Honda Philippines confirms the launch of the City Hatchback

The successor to the Jazz, at least in spirit.

Earl Lee
Honda City Hatchback Thailand

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), after discontinuing the Jazz, has confirmed that they are indeed fielding a replacement. As speculated in a previous article, the Honda City Hatchback will be the successor to the ever-popular Jazz, due to manufacturing streamlining. According to the press release, the event will be held on April 20, 2021. 

Related: The Honda Jazz will be discontinued in the Philippines
Honda City Hatchback

Following the success of the 5th generation Honda City, HCPI is looking forward to elevating and diversifying the City nameplate with an all-new body style. The brand touts that the hatchback will have the same outstanding interior space and advanced technologies to go with the stylish fascia of the all-new City. 

Honda City 1.5-liter DOHC engine

As for expectations, we figure that the new City Hatchback will have the same engine as the sedan, which is a 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder engine that produces 119 hp and 145 Nm of torque mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). We are unsure if the model will receive a 5-speed manual transmission as an option just like the sedan, however, we’re not expecting it since the sedan body style wins the numbers game against hatchbacks. 

Honda City RS Philippines
Honda City RS Dashboard
Honda City RS Steering Wheel

However, we are almost certain that the City Hatchback will feature a top-of-the-line RS trim judging from the color of the car in the press release. We anticipate that all the goodies from the RS trim will make their way to the City, in the form of combination suede, leather, and cloth seats, accent stitching, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reverse camera, and many other features. We also expect that the interior accent color will come in red as well. One thing we did notice from the press release is the blacked-out wheels. The sedan RS model comes with two-tone wheels, and we can guess that the Hatchback will go with the trend of manufacturers blacking out their wheels to achieve a cleaner look as some might say. 

Honda City Hatchback Media Invitation

One thing that we want to see, according to the models in Thailand, are the Magic Seats, which is a nice throwback to the, now discontinued, Jazz. These Magic Seats can be found in the second row of the car and can fold flat to accommodate large items and create a long and wide cargo area. Also, the magic seats can fold up to accommodate taller items, making the most out of the height of the cabin. 

So far, Honda has been a little hush-hush about the details, but we’re excited to see the RS badge on yet another hatchback from Honda. Now, all we have to do is play the waiting game. Stay tuned for April 20, 2021. 

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