Launched in Thailand (alongside the City e:HEV), the City hatchback is the newest addition to Honda’s now series of sub-compact cars. Similar to Toyota’s decision to localize the Yaris as the hatchback version of the Vios, the City hatchback is pretty much the sedan from the C-pillar frontward. Towards the back, designers opted for a more energetic look while still maintaining a practical roofline.

Inside, the City hatchback may share the same basic interior as the sedan, but engineers were able to free up more rear legroom compared to the sedan. Furthermore, Honda’s trademark ULTR seats make for one cavernous and flexible cargo hold.

The Thai market City hatchback comes solely with VTEC Turbo power. In this case, it’s a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder with 122 horsepower and 173 Nm of torque. This is mated to a Earth Dreams CVT transmission.

The Philippine market will likely follow Thailand’s lead given the all-new City is now being sourced from there. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the all-new City is actually registered as the “City 4DR” in its Certificate of Conformity with the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau. If it does, expect it to cost more than its sedan counterpart. In Thailand, it is THB 10,000 (about P 16,000) more.

While this opens the doors for Honda Cars Philippines to bring in the City hatchback, it must be remembered that the Japanese carmaker thought of, but eventually opted not to bring in the Civic hatchback despite strong clamors from enthusiasts.

Would you want to see the City hatchback on local roads?