Honda to launch Amaze in April

The Honda Amaze sedan will be launched in India this April. The compact sedan will be the Japanese automaker’s first diesel engined vehicle for the Indian market and is expected to take on the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire in the entry-level sedan segment.

The Brio Amaze diesel will be powered by the new 1.5-litre turbocharged i-DTEC engine, derived from the Honda’s new 1.6-litre Earthdreams diesel mill that was showcased in Europe last year. The India specific diesel unit will produce 90bhp and will be mated a five-speed manual. The same engine will be used in the new 2014 City sedan and a compact-crossover based on the Jazz, but with higher power and torque figures courtesy a reworked ECU.   

The car will also be offered with the 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 88bhp and 109Nm of torque and currently powers the Brio compact hatchback as well as the Jazz premium hatchback.  

While maintaining some overall similarities with its hatchback sibling, the Brio Amaze is a completely new car on the outside and not just a boot-on-hatch design like the Swift Dzire and the Indigo eCS. There is a new front grille as well as re-profiled rear-end due to the boot.

The interiors, however, have been lifted straight from the Brio hatchback save for a bench seat in the back and different coloured upholstery to give it a more premium feel.  Honda has taken advantage of the diesel engine rule as well as the sub-four-metre rule and we expect that they will price the Brio Amaze in the range of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.

For more information on the upcoming Honda Amaze sedan read our first drive review.