Honda Motors India has updated its official website to include information on its first diesel sedan for the Indian market, the Amaze. The sedan was launched for the Thai market on November 25 and is expected to arrive here early next year.
At present, the Amaze’s homepage has just an option asking for people’s opinion on the entry-level sedan and some basic information saying that the car will be offered with both petrol and diesel engines. It adds that the Amaze will be launched in the financial year 2013-2014.
However, we already know that this new sub-four metre sedan will be offered with two engine options; the i-VTEC 1.2-litre petrol, which currently does duty in both of Honda‘s hatchbacks (Jazz and Brio), and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. The latter is based on the 1.6-litre Earthdreams i-DTEC engine and has been designed specifically for the Indian market. The engine has been tuned to provide maximum fuel efficiency and driveability in the low and mid-range. Fitted with a fixed geometry turbo, the engine develops between 85 and 90bhp. The Brio Amaze is being offered with both a manual and an automatic gearbox in the V variant and the S variant.
The new offering from Honda will compete with the like of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Toyota Etios, Tata Indigo CS and soon-to-be-launched Mahindra Verito CS. While prices in Thailand start at 455,000 Baht (Rs 8.2 lakh), Honda will price the car significantly lower to keep it in competition with the rivals and the fact that it fulfils the criteria of being sub-four metre sedan. Honda is mostly banking on this compact sedan to revive its sales which plummeted after the deregulation of petrol prices.
Click here for our first drive report of the Honda Brio Amaze
