Honda Cars : A possible roadmap for Honda’s diesel engined car foray in India emerges | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Just yesterday, we brought you buzz about the Honda Brio diesel being tested in India. While official confirmation of the same might never arrive due to Honda being fearful of losing sales of petrol engined Brio models, more such spottings in the coming months could reaffirm the presence of a diesel engined model in the Japanese car brand’s scheme of things. Talking of which, Honda definitely has big plans for diesel engined car models in the future. Not for nothing has the automaker put a bunch of ex-F1 engineers on the job to come up with a range of new generation turbo diesel engines to power future car models.

Coming to the possible roadmap for Honda’s diesel engined cars to be launched in India, a news report carried by the EconomicTimes suggests that the Brio might indeed be the first Honda car model in India to be outfitted with a diesel engine. The City sedan is another car that could see a diesel engine under the hood. Once a best seller in the C-segment sedan space, the lack of a diesel engined variant has seen the model slowly losing market share to rivals like Hyundai, Volkswagen and Nissan. So, a diesel engine is very much needed to resurrect the Honda City’s stature as a top selling car in its class.

The story goes on to assert that the Brio diesel will debut by the middle of 2013, which is just a year away. A 1.2 Liter, three cylinder version and a 1.5 Liter, four potter turbo diesel could be in the works. The Jazz could be the other car that could get a diesel engine, with a likely launch at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The brand already has diesel engines ready to be deployed in its other cars such as the Civic, the Accord and the CR-V crossover. In fact, Honda sells diesel versions of all the three aforementioned cars in the European market, which is extremely diesel friendly.

Likewise, Honda indeed needs diesel cars in its portfolio if the brand wants to remain relevant in India, as the cost difference between petrol and diesel has further widened to an unprecedented high with the latest hike in petrol prices, days ago. Honda currently has no diesel engined cars in its India portfolio and the new range of turbo diesel engines are seen as a saviour for the brand, which has clearly lost its way,amidst plummeting sales over the past couple of years. Honda for its part continues to officially deny that it is planning to launch diesel engined cars in 2013.

Source;

http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/a-possible-roadmap-for-hondas-diesel-engined-car-foray-in-india-emerges-59467/#more-59467

Honda Cars : Honda finally wakes up – Honda City to come in a Diesel Variant by 2013-14 | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

This will not be for the North American market, the Honda City is a vehicle that would go between the Honda FIT and the Civic and is available predomininatly in India. However, with Honda now having a 2nd diesel engine in their 'repetoire', some day (wishfull thinking) we may see a diesel Honda here!
Late Latif and prone to mistakes, Honda (well, you know. Look at the Honda Jazz) has finally had to face reality. With competition in the segment it has dominated since the last few years getting more and more stiff, Honda has decided to finally power its segment winner with a diesel mill.

Honda had already started seeing a decline in sales of the City with the launch of Volkswagen’s Vento. Analysts say that Honda’s sales figures with the City would have been much higher in the previous two booming sales years had a diesel option been made available to the buyer. Lately with the launch of Maruti Suzuki’s Diesel, Ford’s new Fiesta, Hyundai’s 2011 Verna, the upcoming Nissan Sunny and the more up-market Renault Fluence, the segment stands to be even more competitive.

And with the onset of a decline sales year and the VW Vento making the top spot and as the proverbial final straw, Honda has stated that they will make available a diesel Honda City to the public soon and by soon we mean 2013-14, by which time a lot more of the market would also have gone.

According to sources, Honda has said that they are preparing to develop a diesel engine to power the Honda City in the Indian auto industry very soon. Honda will be developing a new diesel engine in the range of 1.4L-1.6L according to what will fit the Honda City best
.
Mr. Janeshwar Sen, Marketing & Sales, Senior VP, Honda Motors India, stated, “We are developing a diesel engine in Japan to power City. It could take us more than two years. The rapid dieselisation of the market has happened only in the last one year, since the price difference between diesel and petrol has gone up from Rs 10 to Rs 21. We had to prioritize our efforts to be a big brand with big volumes, which will come from the Honda Brio. We believe we make the best engines and, therefore, there is no question of importing. Till then, we will continue to dominate the petrol segment.”

Source;
http://www.motoism.com/20110515440/latest/honda-finally-wakes-up-honda-city-to-come-in-a-diesel-variant-by-2013-14.html

Honda Cars : Honda to launch diesel cars in India by 2012 | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

For a long time cars like Honda City and Honda Civic have been favourites and churned up good figures.

But recently there has been a flood of new launches that have posed a serious threat to the almost monopolistic models by Honda.

Cars like Volkswagen Vento and Fiat Linea are some of the biggest challengers to the supremacy of Honda City, one of Honda's higgest selling models.

Also, till now there has been no diesel car launched by Honda, which is one of its disadvantages.

However, this is about to change as Honda Siel Cars India will launch two diesel engine options by 2012.

According to sources Honda would bring the diesel engine to India after its launch in Europe and it would be fitted into cars like City, Jazz and the new small car Honda is developing.

The engine is a new 2.0 litre CRDI diesel unit.

Right now Honda offers Honda Accord and the Honda CR-V in 2.2 litre diesel versions in the overseas market.

And diesel engine variants are important on the portfolio of every carmaker wanting to make it big in the Indian market as Indian buyers buy more diesel cars than petrol.

The current Honda portfolio includes cars like CR-V, City, Civic, Accord and Jazz.

Out of these three cars are likely to get the new diesel engine.

The car is available in three variants out of which Honda City 1.5 E MT and Honda City 1.5 S MT are equipped with 1.5L, 1497cc, i-VTEC petrol engine with the 5-speed manual transmission gearbox that is able to produce 118PS power at 6600rpm and 14.9Kg-m torque at 4600rpm.

The Honda City 1.5 S AT too has the same engine and specification and it has automatic transmission gearbox.

The Honda City is priced between 833,500 - 997,500 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Honda displayed a concept small car, which is yet unnamed, at the Auto Expo in January this year and is planning to launch it in India by 2011.

The small car is expected to have a 1200 cc engine and is expected to have all the necessary features including airbags, ABS and G-CON body standards, which keep the integrity of the passenger cabin intact in an accident.

Honda has decided to price the small car below 500,000 to be able to compete with Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20.

The small car will have over 80 per cent local components to save on the cost of spare parts.

Source;
http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/sep/06/slide-show-1-auto-honda-to-launch-diesel-cars-in-india-by-2012.htm