Honda drives in Mobilio MPV to take on Toyota's Innova and Maruti's Ertiga

NEW DELHI: Competition in the multi-purpose vehicle segment intensified with Honda driving in the Mobilio, pricing the entry petrol variant at Rs 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The Mobilio, a 7-seater, will compete with models like Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga and Toyota’s Innova. It is part of the new series of models launched by the Japanese carmaker after it drove in the Brio compact and the Amaze entry sedan.
Innova and Ertiga account for sales of around 5,000 units each on a monthly basis and Honda is looking to give a stiff competition to the models.
The Mobilio comes strapped with 1,500cc petrol and diesel engine options. While the petrol engine option costs between Rs 6.5 lakh and Rs 8.76 lakh, the diesel engine variant comes for Rs 7.89 lakh to Rs 10.86 lakh.
The models, however, are priced at a premium to the Ertiga and analysts said that it may not be easy for Honda to immediately have a go at the rival from Maruti Suzuki.
The Mobilio has already been launched by Honda in Indonesia where it comes strapped with crucial safety features like ABS and air bags as standard. Many of these are not offered as standard on some of the variants in India and company officials said that this is due to “varying customer needs” here and keeping in mind the “affordability” factor.
Honda Motor Company managing officer Yoshiyuki Matsumoto said India is one of the company's key strategic markets and Mobilio will contribute significantly to its growth.

“Mobilio has sold 46,000 units in Indonesia since its launch in January, capturing 23% market share in the segment. We expect the same success in India.”
Mobilio has been developed at Honda's R&D facility in Bangkok exclusively for the Asian markets with India and Indonesia among key targets. In India, the model will roll out from the company's Greater Noida plant which has an annual capacity of 1.2 lakh units.
Honda plans to add new models in India as it works towards its target of selling 3 lakh units annually by 2017.
The company will drive in the next-generation Jazz hatchback by the end of this year while driving in a compact SUV next year. Honda is also working on a new low-cost compact car for India, looking to bag a bigger share in the high-volume compact car market.