Demand for sedans has depreciated significantly over the last few years with the market warming up to SUVs and high-riding crossovers. Only a handful of sedans are now left on sale in the market with only a few of them bringing in decent volumes. One of them is Honda Amaze rivalling the likes of Maruti Dzire, Hyundai Aura, and Tata Tigor.
Currently in its second generation, Honda continues to sell a sizable number of Amaze on a monthly basis. A large section of buyers are fleet operators since Amaze is very popular in the taxi space. According to a recent report by Autocar India, the Japanese automaker will update the compact sedan with a new generation model.
New-gen Honda Amaze: Expected launch, underpinnings
The recent media report suggests that Honda will launch the new-gen Amaze in India during the festive season, most probably around Diwali, later this year. The current car has been on sale since 2018 and received a mid-cycle facelift in 2021. The report indicates that the new Amaze will be based on the same platform underpinning City and Elevate.
This architecture will be tweaked to bring it below the four metre mark. For reference, both Elevate and City measure above 4.3 metre in length. The current Amaze has a wheelbase that is 2,470mm long— making it 130mm shorter than City.
New-gen Honda Amaze: Expected design, features
We expect Honda to make several small tweaks to the exterior styling of Amaze, giving the design an evolutionary upgrade. In its current avatar, Amaze is one of the best-looking cars in its segment therefore Honda would not want to make any radical design updates. Expect Honda to redo the interiors with a fresh layout.
In terms of features, Honda is likely to equip the new-gen Amaze with a larger touchscreen infotainment display, most probably borrowing the free-standing unit from Elevate. LED headlights, taillights and winkers are also expected to be part of the package. However, we doubt if Honda will equip the upcoming Amaze with the camera-based ADAS features offered in City and Elevate.
New-gen Honda Amaze: Expected engine
Honda is most likely to carry forward the current 1.2-litre naturally aspirated i-Vtec petrol engine from the current model. This unit is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 7-step CVT automatic gearbox and kicks out 89 bhp and 110 Nm of peak torque. The 1.5-litre i-Dtec diesel mill earlier offered was discontinued last year and isn’t expected to make a return.
