Hit wicket for Honda: Only City and Amaze on sale

Honda Cars India has been on a sticky wicket for some time now and has been busy squashing rumours of the company shutting shop in India. One still wonders what’s the game plan for the Japanese car manufacturer beyond the City and the Amaze. That certainly is the million-dollar question as Honda has officially become a two cars company in India as it has pulled the plug on the 4-generation City, Jazz and WR-V. With the new BS6 Phase 2 Real Driving Emission (RDE) norms coming into place on April 1st Honda decided to cut short its portfolio to the 5-generation City, City Hybrid and the Amaze. 

Honda bids adieu to hatchbacks

It’s official Honda India doesn’t sell any hatchbacks as it’s axed both the Jazz and the WR-V. Based on the same platform, the Jazz was launched in 2015 while its muscled sibling, the WR-V, made its debut two years later. Both the premium hatchbacks were available in a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 88bhp of output and 110Nm and 99bhp 1.5-litre diesel with 200Nm of torque. The Jazz petrol was mated to either a 5-speed manual or an automatic CVT. The WR-V petrol only came with the manual gearbox and the diesel was only available with a 6-speed manual for both the hatchbacks. 

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The City nameplate has consistently been the segment leader since its inception and the fourth generation has been diligently doing its duty since it made its debut in 2014. Alas, all good things must come to an end and the new emission norms ensured this happened. No doubt, this was a practical move by Honda as upgrading the older models would mean more expenditure on resources which didn’t justify the cost due to the low sales numbers.

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Creta-rival on the cards for Honda 

Honda is gearing up to enter the mid-size SUV segment and with a brand-new vehicle. It is expected to be powered by 1.5-litre petrol like the City but the question arises will it also come as a hybrid? That’s something we will have to wait till the new SUV makes its global debut in India later this year. The new Honda SUV will take on the likes of the Kia Seltos, Skoda Khushaq, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder and Volkswagen Taigun.  

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