2026 Honda City launched in Thailand – now cheaper with 10-inch touchscreen; 1.0T and e:HEV, fr RM70k

Revealed in India over a month ago, the latest facelifted Honda City has been launched in Thailand, marking its debut in Southeast Asia. As before, this B-segment stalwart is available in sedan and hatchback form and either as a pure petrol model or an e:HEV hybrid.

However, the range has pivoted almost fully towards hybrids, with the only remaining combustion-engined variant being the returning base S, which drops the starting price to 569,000 baht (RM69,800) for the sedan. New to the range is the more affordable e:HEV V trim that retails at 619,000 baht (RM75,800), joining the e:HEV SV at 689,000 baht (RM84,400) and the e:HEV RS at 739,000 baht (RM90,500). The hatch is 10,000 baht (RM1,200) more expensive across the range.

This means the starting price has fallen by as much as 30,000 baht (RM3,700) since the last facelift in 2024, while the e:HEV SV and RS are now 80,000 baht (RM9,800) and a whole 100,000 baht (RM12,300) less expensive respectively. Honda Thailand says these are introductory figures that are valid until September 30.

As before, the petrol City differs significantly from what we have in Malaysia, ditching the 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder in favour of a 1.0 litre VTEC Turbo three-pot. This produces 122 PS at 5,500 rpm and 173 Nm of torque from 2,000 to 4,500 rpm – sent to the front wheels through the usual CVT – with Honda claiming a combined fuel efficient figure of 22.7 km per litre (4.4 litres per 100 km).

The familiar e:HEV model, on the other hand, is powered by an electric front motor making 109 PS and 253 Nm, juiced by a lithium-ion battery and a 98 PS/127 Nm 1.5 litre NA Atkinson-cycle mill. The latter, which usually functions as a generator, can clutch in to drive the car at higher speeds where it is most efficient. This version is, of course, more efficient, capable of a claimed 27.8 km per litre (3.6 litres per 100 km).

Unusually for a Honda, the second mid-cycle refresh brings a radical exterior redesign to keep it fresh on the market, both in the face of stiff competition from China and as it reaches its sixth year. The front fascia is much sharper, fitted with slimmer LED headlights and more prominent daytime running lights; on higher-end models, these are joined together with a light bar across the also trimmed-down grille.

Meanwhile, the “unibrow”, usually finished in either chrome or gloss black, is now body-coloured for a more streamlined look, and it also houses the Honda logo (still the old rectangular badge, not the new “H” mark). Lower down, the bumper has been re-profiled with a downturned centre air intake for most models and an upturned one for the RS, both flanked by body-coloured “fins”.

The rear end is more recognisably a GN City, with trapezoidal taillights flanking the number plate recess on the boot lid. However, the bumper has been redesigned to match the front, coming with a grille-like “mesh” centre, a diffuser-like insert, twin “tusks” and vertical reflectors. Note that this is only for the sedan, with the hatch’s bumper remaining unchanged.

On the SV and RS, the usual red taillights have also been swapped out for clear units. The wheels measure 15 inches on the S with an unchanged multi-spoke design, while the other variants gain 16-inch rollers with a new turbine design.

While the exterior has been given a makeover, the interior has been mostly left well alone, although there are a couple of upgrades. The no-frills dashboard has been jazzed up (pun intended) on the SV and RS models with ambient lighting strips and a new, larger ten-inch infotainment touchscreen – the latter up from eight inches on the S and V and incorporating a 360-degree camera setup. The RS additionally gains an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a Qi wireless charger, the latter mounted just ahead of the centre armrest.

Beyond those features, the City is practically unchanged, fitted with either analogue gauges on the petrol model or a seven-inch instrument display on the hybrids; those electrified variants also gain an electronic parking brake and steering wheel pedals for selecting the level of regenerative braking. Walk-away auto door locks, remote engine start, single-zone auto air con and eight speakers are also available.

Safety-wise, the City again comes as standard with four airbags, with curtain airbags (six airbags in total) being reserved for the RS. Thankfully, as per in Malaysia, all models get the Honda Sensing suite of driver assists, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go on the hybrids), lane centring assist, road departure mitigation, front departure alert and auto high beam. The RS adds a LaneWatch blind spot camera; the City has yet to switch over to blind spot monitoring as per its stablemates.

Closer to home, the this facelifted City should arrive in Malaysia sometime next year; Honda Malaysia’s launches for 2026 are focused on the recently-introduced Prelude and a slew of smaller spec upgrades for its existing models. What do you think of this refresh? Let us know in the comments.

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