HONDA Malaysia's 2024 City Hatchback line-up now includes a new petrol RS variant.
Much like its' sedan counterpart the variant runs on the familiar 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC engine while exuding the brand's thematic RS design furnishing.
Honda Malaysia managing director and chief executive officer Hironobu Yoshimura said the company is thrilled to offer customers a RS variant with petrol powertrain and believe the 2024 refreshed model will surpass expectations.
This comes off the back that there are more than 28,700 units of the City Hatchback on Malaysian roads since 2021.
"We have achieved sales of more than 21,500 units in Q1 2024 which is an increase of 23 per cent compared to Q1 2023. This positive achievement is a good start of the year for Honda," Yoshimura added.
The 2024 City Hatchback comes in five variants: S, E, V, petrol RS and the e:HEV RS.
Their performance remains the same as before with all petrol variants come equipped with 1.5L DOHC i-VTEC that delivers 121PS of maximum output and 145Nm of torque. The sole top hybrid variant houses a 1.5L e:HEV powertrain that produces 109PS and 253Nm of torque.
Physically the 2024 City Hatchback comes with a newly designed honeycomb front grille, front lower grille, LED front fog lights garnish and rear bumper lower garnish. New Berlina Black16-inch Alloy Wheels and a new side sill garnish are found on both RS variants.
The two RS variants are also now longer with a refreshed exterior design measuring 4,369mm in length. The S, E and V variants are 4,350 mm in length.
Both RS variants' interior now feature a red-painted dashboard panel and Combi Leather seats with red stitching.
They are fitted with 8-inch Display Audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless connectivity in addition to 7-inch TFT Meter Cluster. Ultra Seat comes standard across all variants.
Paddle Shift is now standard in all petrol variants while the e:HEV RS variant is fitted with Deceleration Selector Paddle that enables the driver to engage on the paddles for power regeneration and to decelerate the vehicle.
Honda Sensing is now a standard safety feature for all variants with the suite encompassing Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Keep Assist System, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning and Auto High Beam.
New to the suite for all variants is the Lead Car Departure Notification function while the e:HEV RS gets Low Speed Follow feature.
All variants come with six airbags and Walk Away Auto Lock function. The Multi-Angle Reverse Camera with Hi-Resolution are fitted in all variants except for S variant.
V and RS variants are also equipped with Honda LaneWatch while Honda Connect is now available as an optional accessory for the S, E and V variants.
The variants are priced without insurance at RM85,900 (S), RM90,900 (E), RM95,900 (V), RM100,900 for the petrol RS and the e:HEV RS at RM112,900.
Honda Malaysia targets to sell 900 units of the 2024 City Hatchback monthly and is confident that it will continue to attract attention and further achieve another milestone in the coming years.