Honda might be late to the diesel party but the company is confident about making a definitive impact in the Indian car market. Post the launch of its first diesel car (Amaze) in India, Honda is betting big on diesel engines to boost market share. The Amaze has helped Honda hit record sales and two very promising Honda cars will hit Indian roads in 2014. One is the new Jazz which was recently unveiled while the other is the new City, which will debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in November. Honda is likely to display both these cars at the 2014 Auto Expo.
The all new Honda City will follow the design direction seen on the new Jazz although both cars might differ marginally in terms of design. The City uses the Jazz’ platform and the interiors are likely to be identical too. Our rendering of the sixth generation City shows how attractive the model is going to look. Clean flowing lines coupled with a coupe like rear is sure to please many buyers in the C-segment. The new City is likely to be positioned slightly above the current model, making breathing space for the sub 4-metre Amaze.
The City has been Honda’s most popular model in India for more than a decade. It’s just after the arrival of the Amaze that the City is no longer Honda’s top seller in the Indian market. The new City will use the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine which powers the current model while the diesel engine will come from the Amaze (1.5-litre i-DTEC produces 100 PS and 200 Nm). The new City is likely to get all the features offered on the new Jazz but which one of those will make it to India remains a mystery.
Honda also plans to bring in the Jazz based crossover and Brio based Mobilio MPV to the Indian market in the near future. All this is sure to help Honda overtake its arch Japanese rival, Toyota. The company’s current focus is on volume based products and hence there is no attention towards the Civic and Accord, Honda’s good sellers for a long time in the last decade.
