To compete with India’s best selling compact sedan – Maruti DZire, Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) launched a Amaze back in April 2013. Not only the car was priced aggressively, but it was also offered with one of the most advanced diesel engine seen in the segment – the new 1.5l i-DTEC. This engine made Honda Amaze India’s most fuel efficient car at that time, with a claimed mileage of 25.8 kmpl.
Apart from the diesel engine, Amaze also featured a petrol engine, same as the one which powers Honda’s small hatch, Brio – 1.2l 4 cyl offering 88 PS power and 109 Nm torque. With demand in the segment gaining momentum, Amaze started garnering huge sales. In no time, the Amaze became Honda India’s best selling car.
With average sales of more than 6,200 units every month since launch, Honda Amaze sales have bottle-necked post the launch of new City and Mobilio earlier this year. But, from this month, Honda’s plant in Tapukara, Rajasthan will start a new shift, giving HCIL the opportunity to reduce waiting periods on their cars.
Apart from this, this will also allow HCIL to launch new cars. We already know that the company will launch Jazz hatchback in Q1 2015, but apart from this, the company also plans to introduce CNG variants of Amaze and City in the near future. This will give Honda access to a wider crowd, and thereby register even further increase in sales.
Of the two, Amaze will first get a CNG option. A test mule has already been spotted on test by MotorBash on the Noida Expressway, just a few kilometers away from HCIL’s plant in Greater Noida. Considering Honda charged about Rs 55,000 for old City CNG, price of Honda Amaze CNG is also expected to be about Rs 40-50k higher than the corresponding petrol variant. Launch is expected to take place in a few weeks.
via MotorBash
