2026 Honda City facelift teased in India before May 22 debut – fresh leaks show more of radical new exterior

Honda Cars India has officially teased the new Honda City facelift, which will reportedly make its debut on May 22. Currently in its fifth generation since 2019, the B-segment sedan received its first facelift back in 2023, with the upcoming one bringing some radical design changes.

The key (and only) takeaway from the teaser is the new light bar at the front that connects the segmented daytime running lights on either side of it. Everything else is under wraps but there’s not a lot of mystery to how the facelifted City will look like thanks to the abundance of leaks on the internet.

Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) users aryanverse_ as well as @adityalala2000 posted videos and images of the refreshed model confirming the light bar along with what was already revealed previously.

This includes sharper headlamps that visually blend into a full-width honeycomb grille, the latter resulting in the deletion of the chrome bar and repositioning of the Honda badge to the top portion of the bumper.

The bumper also sports a wide upturned air intake as well as “fin-like” elements leading into what should be vertical inlets. The overall look is more pointed and aggressive compared to the outgoing model – what do you think of this new face?

As for the rear, leaked images show a new bumper with a large mesh centre section that was absent on the older model’s more subdued unit. The reflectors are moved to the corner with this change, but the taillights look to be carried over items.

Inside, the new City looks to be largely similar to its predecessor, with notable changes being a larger touchscreen head unit and the integration of ambient lighting (blue as seen in a video). Sources also pointed out a digital instrument cluster, but it looks to be a seven-inch display set beside an analogue speedometer, which is already what we get with the RS variants of the current City in Malaysia. A 360-degree camera is said to be a new feature that would be welcomed.

In India, the outgoing City is offered with a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four petrol engine making 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque, paired with a CVT driving the front wheels. There’s also an e:HEV hybrid powertrain based around a 1.5 litre NA four-pot running on the Atkinson cycle making 100 PS and 131 Nm

This is augmented by an electric traction motor rated at 109 PS and 253 Nm, with another electric motor acting as a generator for the lithium-ion battery. With an E-CVT sending drive to the front wheels, the e:HEV mostly runs as an electric vehicle (EV) but the engine can be clutched in to directly power the front wheels when needed.

This dual-powertrain line-up is what we get here too, although India gets the non-hybrid powertrain with the option of a six-speed manual as well. The engine in the hybrid system is also slightly more powerful compared to our version that packs 98 PS and 127 Nm.

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