- Could arrive by 2025
- Will be Honda’s smallest vehicle in India
Introduction
Honda might be on a roll with the Elevate and the City but to keep the fight going strong for segment share it will also need to upgrade its smallest car, the Amaze compact sedan. The current car has been on sale since 2018 with a facelift in 2021 and is due for a major update. Officially, Honda has refused to comment on the same but we think it will arrive next year.
However, the market share for compact sedans has shrunk in favour of sub-4 compact SUVs and the next generation of Amaze will have quite a challenge on its hands. Here is what Honda needs to do if it wants the third-gen Amaze to make a significant dent in the market.
Feature list
The top-spec VX variant currently gets an LED light package, a seven-inch display for the infotainment system with phone mirroring, climate control, connected car technology, button start, height adjustment for the driver’s seat, cruise control and dual front airbags.
It needs to expand this list by adding a 360-degree camera, ambient lighting, a 10.0-inch touchscreen system with wireless phone mirroring, a digital instrument cluster and a sunroof. These are feel-good features which are considered requisite in this part of the market.
CNG power
The previous-generation Honda Amaze had a CNG-compatible variant. It had been working on the gas-powered model for the second-gen with even a test car spied but nothing has emerged so far. It would need to bring back CNG as this is now an accepted mode in this part of the market with both Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki having CNG power for their compact sedans. The engine in question will be Honda's 1.2-litre four-pot petrol engine.
Sell alongside a compact SUV
This sounds a bit controversial but could work in Honda's favour, which is to sell the Amaze alongside a compact SUV and get combined volumes from the sales of both models. Our bet would be to introduce the next-gen WR-V that has been on sale since November 2022. The automaker had said that we would get four more SUVs by 2030 in India and a compact one is expected to be one on the list. It is expected to share with the new Amaze the same interior and underpinnings.
Honda City-like exterior design
It’s become common place now and one of the ways that Honda can up the ante for the Amaze is to make it look like a mini City. This would create aspiration, ease of identification and sharing of design and platform. Then there is also the fact that the City name is one of the few iconic badges that’s been on sale continuously for the last 28 years creating a wide age range of buyers.
