New 2014 Honda City launched at Rs 7.42 lakh (Not for North America)

The New City will be powered by a diesel engine for the first time. Bookings frenzy expected

(To those of us in North America wondering what a Honda City is, think a Honda Fit in a sedan).

by Anand Mohan of www.zigwheels.com 

Honda has finally launched the much awaited new 2014 City at a starting price of Rs 7.42 lakh for the petrol model. The new Honda City diesel’s prices start from Rs 8.62 lakh and the new Honda City Automatic will cost Rs 9.49 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.

This fourth generation City’s design is an evolution over the outgoing model rather than a revolution. But in its latest avatar, Honda has upped the game by making it a lot more upmarket. The car looks more premium, the quality of materials are better and there’s more space for the occupants. The Japanese carmaker has also focused on the rear seat, which now is plusher and gets more legroom. The new City also gets more features than before.

The most significant addition to the new City though is the diesel engine under its hood. After three generations of the petrol-only Honda City, this new car will cater to a wider customer base. The engine is the identical 1.5-litre i-DTEC block from the Amaze and delivers the same 100PS of power and 200Nm of torque but is mated to a new six speed gearbox. It promises to be one of the most fuel efficient sedans in the country with an ARAI certified economy score of 26Kmpl.

The petrol engine is the i-VTEC mill carried forward from the old City which delivers 119PS of power, one more than the last generation car. This petrol engine has two choices of gearboxes, a 5-speed manual and a CVT. The CVT is more efficient than the manual achieving an ARAI certified figure of 18Kmpl compared to 17.9Kmpl on the manual.

The new City will be available in five trims - E, S, SV, V and VX for the petrol manual transmission and diesel models and in the SV and VX trims for the CVT City. You will get a choice of six colours - Golden Brown, Carnelian Red Pearl, Urban Titanium, Alabaster Silver, Crystal Black and Taffeta White. Honda is offering a 2 year or 40,000km warranty on the new City.

The new City will be sold through 159 dealerships across the country and Honda has plans to open 11 more till March 2014.

Source;
http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/recent-launches/new-2014-honda-city-launched-at-rs-742-lakh/17624/

Honda to launch City, Fit and Brio diesels in India

by Anthony Lim of www.paultan.org

A report indicates that Honda is planning to introduce three diesel-based models in India next year in a bid to catch up with competitors such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. The automaker has been lagging behind because there are better tax incentives for oil burners in that market, and it only has a single diesel model on sale there at this point.

The Nikkei adds that the diesel engines for the trio will be manufactured at its plant in Uttar Pradesh in northern India, after improvements to the production line for gasoline-powered engines are made. The report doesn’t state the engine displacement, so the question remains if it’ll be the 1.5 litre Earth Dreams i-DTEC turbodiesel as seen on the Brio Amaze sedan.

Honda is also planning to introduce the Brio-based MPV – which is set to make its world debut at the upcoming Indonesian International Motor Show – in India. The seven-seater is set to challenge the Suzuki Ertiga MPV when it arrives there; pricing of the ‘Brio MPV‘ in India is expected to be kept to around RM33,500, equivalent to that for the Ertiga.

The report adds that Honda is slated to increase the number of dealers in India by 60% to 250 in an effort to take total sales to 300,000 units in 2016.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2013/09/02/honda-launch-city-fit-brio-diesel-versions-india/

Honda Indonesia and India: Honda Brio MPV has time till April 2014

The Honda Brio MPV will be the second spin off from the Brio hatchback’s platform and is considered as a key product for Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia and India.

Honda has just launched the very promising Amaze sedan and the next step is to get the second onslaught in place. Regular Indian Autos Blog readers know that the Brio based MPV is in the works and it would make its global debut in Indonesia.

In the MPV loving archipelago, the new Honda will enter into a tussle with bigwigs like the Toyota Avanza, Daihatsu Xenia and the newest hero, the Suzuki Ertiga.

Back home, the Maruti Ertiga and the soon to be launched Chevrolet Enjoy will be the rivals for the MPV. Ford’s B-Max armed with seats for seven is another future contender in this growing segment.

Mr. Jonfis Fandy, director of marketing and aftersales service at PT Honda Prospect Motor told the Indonesian media that the Brio based MPV will compete in the affordable segment of MPVs. He also said that the deadline for the new product is April 2014 and by that time, the upcoming factory in west Java would be ready. Mr. Fandy added that the progress of the factory is being accelerated and the new product could hit the market earlier than the deadline.

The Brio MPV will share most of the soft components with the Amaze. The entire dashboard assembly, front doors and seats are likely to be carried over, and perhaps certain sheet metal and glass panels shall also be shared to gain scale.

The Brio MPV is expected to provide another huge boost to Honda Cars India, just like the Amaze. The new 1.5 litre i-DTEC diesel engine would be finding its place under the hood, thereby making the Ertiga rethink its position.

Source;
http://indianautosblog.com/2013/04/honda-brio-mpv-has-time-till-april-2014-71457