2026 Honda City Facelift Launching May 22 – Hybrid From ₹20.5 Lakh

The fifth-generation Honda City’s second facelift leaked before the May 22, 2026, launch in the Indian market, revealing its front-end design and a little of the side look. The image floating across the web was clicked by the Financial Express’ Akbar Merchant, who shared it on his X (Twitter) profile.

Up front, it gets a glossy black grille in a honeycomb style, replacing the old thick chrome bars. With this upgrade, the car now looks more modern; even its LED headlights have been upgraded. Now it is totally sleek and clear, on which a thin DRL sits. The new lighting not only enhances the look but also gives better visibility for nighttime driving.

Below the hood crease, a chrome “H” logo is visible for the branding on the white paint just above the grille. The sharp and triangular cuts are visible on the bumper’s bottom edge, giving an aggressive and aerodynamic look. Notably, fog lights are missing from the leaked image, which are usually essential for extreme weather visibility.

Zooming in on the image shows the new Honda City is equipped with dual-tone multi-spoke large alloy wheels that not only enhance its road presence but also make it look eye-catching in profile. The traditional door handles are retained for better practicality, and ORVMs (outside rear-view mirrors) are tweaked a little.

The rear of the car remains unveiled because the image shows only its front and side. However, the spy shots during the road testing reflect that its rear profile is upgraded compared to the outgoing model. The rear of the car is expected to get revised LED taillamps and an updated bumper. 

The carmaker will reveal pricing, specifications, and features with the launch on May 22, 2026. On the same day, the Honda ZR-V launch will also happen. Its launch will take place in India in both petrol and hybrid powertrains. Once launched, it will compete with the Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Virtus, and Hyundai Verna. 

The outgoing model is available with the starting ex-showroom price of ₹11.99 lakh and ₹19.99 lakh for petrol and hybrid powertrains, respectively; the new one is expected to cost ex-showroom between ₹12.5 lakh and ₹16.5 lakh for petrol and ₹20.5 lakh for the hybrid powertrain.

Dimensionally, it remains unchanged compared to the outgoing model. Its length, width, and height are 4583 mm, 1748 mm, and 1489 mm, respectively. The wheelbase is 2600 mm, and the ground clearance is 165 mm. As there are no changes in size, the boot space for petrol and hybrid is set to remain 506 litres and 306 litres, respectively.

The outgoing model is available with the 8.0-inch infotainment system, but the upcoming model is expected to be introduced with the larger, maybe 10.25-inch, one, as reported. Overall, the interior dashboard is likely to remain the same, but with more soft touches. 

Some reports also suggest the addition of a powered driver seat, front seat ventilation, a 360° camera, and a wireless phone charging pad. The addition of a level 2 advanced driving assistance system is also expected for the top trim, which makes driving almost autonomous.

No changes in the powertrain are reported, so it is likely to come with the same engine options, drivetrain, and transmission that are offered with the outgoing Honda City.

The variant with a petrol powertrain is set to get a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder i-VTEC NA petrol engine, whose maximum power output is 121 hp and peak torque is 145 Nm; and the hybrid variant gets a 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine under the hood with two electric motors in-line, which generates the maximum power of 126 hp and peak torque of 253 Nm.