Honda bets on diesel cars, localisation
It plans to capture the top slot in the two-wheeler segment, where it is present through Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), and replicate the same success in cars by foraying into diesel engines. While the company’s growth in the two-wheeler space has been impressive since the break-up with the Hero Group, the company saw its sales plummeting in cars mainly because it does not offer a diesel variant. Also on the cards is a higher level of localisation to bring about competitive pricing.
“We want Honda to become a household name for cars,” said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, Honda Cars India (HCIL). The company will be introducing its first diesel model, Honda Brio Amaze, in India in the first half of 2013. “Amaze is going to be the first diesel car from Honda in India and will be launched in the next financial year,” said Sen, adding the new 1.5L iDTEC engine for the Honda Amaze had been designed for the Indian market. “Our future product portfolio is being aligned with Indian needs with high levels of localisation. The current City and more recently the Honda Brio model, both have been developed keeping India as the lead country of development.”
For Honda, which in August bought out minority partner Siddharth Shriram-led Usha International’s stake in
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