This sleek new snout on the City is however complemented by a massive screen just plonked onto its dashboard.
While Honda continues stretching the lifespan of its existing models in an attempt to claw back ground lost from its massive EV flop, the Japanese automaker has now shown off the second facelift for its City (sedan and hatchback). Arriving after the first update in 2023 and roughly seven years since this generation initially debuted in 2019, this latest refresh brings with it a sleeker new face… and a rather less sleek dashboard redesign.
First showcased in India before subsequently appearing in Thailand, the biggest change with this facelift is undoubtedly the City’s brasher new front fascia. A sharper ‘Blade-Eye’ light bar now visually connects the headlamp clusters, while sitting beneath it is a near full-width grille paired to a slimmer and sportier-looking front bumper design.
The side profile meanwhile remains largely untouched in this facelift, save for a fresh set of wheel designs. And round the back too, Honda has similarly opted against major changes, with the only notable revision being a redesigned rear bumper featuring a large mesh centre section to continue the sporty look introduced up front.
Though where it does seem that Honda’s designers have more or less given up on this redesign is on the inside, as evidenced by them simply plonking a new 10.1-inch central touchscreen roughly into the hole where the previous flush-mounted unit once sat. It should be added however that they have at least attempted to jazz up the existing dashboard with the inclusion of ambient lighting, which shines through a new 3D-patterned trim piece and is further complemented by footwell illumination.
Likely in response to the increasingly well-appointed Chinese competition too, the updated City now additionally gains ventilated front seats. In India, buyers also receive a 360-degree camera system with moving object detection.
As for engine options, these appear to remain unchanged from the pre-facelift model in the markets where the updated City has already been introduced. Which means it is probably safe to assume that Malaysia will continue sticking with the usual brace of 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines across most of the range, with the e:HEV hybrid continuing to sit at the top of the local lineup.
At present, the new City is already open for pre-orders in Thailand, with official bookings taking place between July 1 and July 31 ahead of deliveries commencing towards the end of August.
As for Malaysia however, there is still no official word on when this second facelift will arrive locally, with it highly unlikely to make it over here the end of the year… Though it does admittedly feel like the sort of update Honda Malaysia could really use right now, especially with the company itself already predicting relatively soft local sales for 2026. So who knows?
