Honda · 1981–1986

Honda City

The first-generation Honda City (Honda Jazz in Europe) was a subcompact hatchback produced by Japanese automaker Honda and aimed mainly at the Japanese domestic market. Referred to as having a "Tall Boy" body style by Honda, it was available in a number of versions, some of which were sold abroad. First introduced in November 1981, it carried the model codes AA for standard models, VF for vans, and FA for the wide-track Turbo II and Cabriolet. In Japan, it was sold at the Honda Clio dealership sales channel.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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History

While the City's layout was traditional for its category, with front-wheel drive and a transversely mounted engine, its relatively upright seating arrangement was innovative, creating legroom comparable to larger cars. This, combined with class-leading fuel economy, led to it being a rapid and considerable success in the Japanese domestic market. The engine was the CVCC-II 1,231 cc (75.1 cu in) four-cylinder Honda ER engine, specifically designed for the City. It was also available with the Motocompo, a special 50 cc folding scooter constructed to fit in the City's small luggage area, itself designed around the Motocompo. In spite of the creativity and novelty of its design, the City was narrowly pipped for the Japanese motoring journalists' Car of the Year Award by the luxurious Toyota Soarer. First-generation production ended in late 1986 with the introduction of the second-generation City. Models. Originally, the economical E model, a sportier R model, and two Pro commercial van models were introduced. E models used higher-geared transmissions and trip computers to increase gas mileage. In September 1982, a turbocharged version of the ER engine was added to the lineup as part of the Turbo I model. Designed by Pininfarina and introduced in August 1984, the drop-top Cabriolet used the wider track, fenders, and bigger bumpers of the Turbo II, but was only normally available with the naturally aspirated 67 PS (49 kW) engine. These wide-track models were designated with the model code FA rather than AA. The Cabriolet was well equipped, with a glass rear window and twelve exclusive pastel color options. This was the first car of this kind built in Japan, with a worldwide wave of convertibles based on family cars following suit throughout the 1980s. In addition to vans and

City Turbo

The Honda City Turbo was a hot hatch produced between September 1982 and 1986. For a long time, the City Turbo was one of the few non-kei car Hondas to be equipped with a turbocharged engine. The City Turbo was the brainchild of Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda as well as founder and owner of Mugen. In the early 1980s, Mugen was a small tuning company that was beginning to garner a reputation producing performance parts for motorcycles and automobiles, but had yet to gain recognition outside of racing circles. When he created the City Turbo, Hirotoshi took one of Honda's most unassuming vehicles and successfully turned it into an aggressive street rocket, considered to be well ahead of its time. Impressed, Honda took Hirotoshi's idea and made a production version, introduced in September 1982. A few months earlier, Honda staffers took two City Turbos on a gruelling 10,000-kilometre (6,200 mi) round trip of Europe, all the way from Sicily to Karasjok in the Arctic north. In November 1983, the intercooled Turbo II joined the lineup. Flared fenders, side skirts and graphics combined for a much more pugnacious appearance, complementing its "Bulldog" nickname. In late 1984, the original Turbo was discontinued (after some were built as 1985 models), while Turbo II production continued through the remainder of the first-generation City's production run. Engine. The City Turbo shared the ER engine with its more pedestrian siblings, but the addition of a turbocharger resulted in power and torque outputs of 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 15.0 kp⋅m (147 N⋅m; 108 lb⋅ft) at 3,000 rpm. Further changes to the engine included an aluminium/titanium alloy head and a magnesium valve cover to reduce weight. The Ishikawajima Heavy Industry (IHI) RHB51 turbocharge

Specifications

== In popular culture == The Madness song "In the City" was written as a jingle for a 1981 Japanese television advertisement for the Honda City and later expanded into a 3-minute track. In the 1984 animated television series The Transformers, the City was used as the alternate mode for the character Skids, who was based on the blue variant of the Diaclone Car Robot "No.9: Honda City Turbo" figure. On November 20th of 2021, Japanese toy company Takara Tomy would release a Masterpiece, High-end collectable figure of Skids in collaboration with Honda to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the 1st generation Honda City Turbo after initial reveal of the figure at the start of the same year In the video game City Connection, the protagonist drives a Honda City.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Honda City AA/VF/FA

Manufacturer

Honda

aka

Honda Jazz (Europe)

Production

November 1981–October 1986

Class

Subcompact car

Body style

2-, 4- or 5-seater 3-door hatchback/van, 4-seater 2-door convertible

Layout

Transverse FF layout

Engine

1231 cc ER inline 4;, 44 PS @ 4,500 rpm – , 110 PS @ 5,500 rpm

Transmission

4/5-speed manual, 4+3-speed Hypershift manual, 2-speed + overdrive Hondamatic semi-automatic

Wheelbase

2220 mm

Length

3380 mm–3420 mm

Width

1570 mm–1625 mm

Height

1460 mm–1570 mm

Kerb weight

640 kg–810 kg

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5892387CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_City_(AA)CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370217620 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honda_Jazz_Luzern_1980.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Charles01 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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