Latest News & Reviews from Indian Auto Industry
The Honda Navi, although quite unconventional looking for a scooty, has generated interest among Indian buyers and have already sold more than 60,000 units.
Continue reading “Honda Navi Launch To Get More Changes And Options”
Honda has launched its new Jazz-based cross-hatchback WR-V at Rs.7.75 lakhs. The car has been launched in both petrol and diesel versions. Price of the diesel WR-V starts at Rs.8.70 lakhs. The higher version of the petrol VX model is priced at Rs.8.99 lakhs and that of the diesel variant is priced at Rs.9.99 lakhs.
The Honda CR-V hasn’t been very successful in India thus far, but that isn’t stopping Honda from trying its luck again with this car. It’s underperformance in India is primarily credited to its lack of a diesel engine.
Honda is all set to launch its WR-V SUV in India on 16th of March. The WR-V is Honda’s newest crossover and once launched, it will lock horns with the likes of Hyundai i20 Active and Maruti Vitara Brezza in the Indian market.
Continue reading “Honda WR-V India Launch On March 16, 2017”
After rolling out the 50th lakh unit of the CB Shine, Honda has launched the 2017 model of the CB Shine which conforms to BS IV emission norms and also gets the auto headlamp feature as standard at Rs.. Apart from these, the 2017 CB Shine also gets two new metallic colours in Athletic Blue and Imperial Red. Also, there are styling updates which include a chrome cover for the exhaust, a chrome cover for the carburettor and 3D emblem graphics on the fuel tank, adding a touch of premium-ness to the motorcycle.
Continue reading “2017 Honda CB Shine launched at Rs.60,674”
The colour details for the compact crossover BR-V has been revealed by Honda. With as many as six colour combinations available, the car is likely to take on the Hyundai Creta in markets. Colours added include the Lunar Silver, Crystal Black Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Tafetta White, Passion Red Pearl and Metallic. As per Honda, the green, red and the silver options are brand new colour options as well.
The BR-V is most likely to get the 1.6-liter i-DTEC motor from Honda. This engine delivers 120 PS in terms of peak power as well as 300Nm in terms of peak torque. The engine is presently undergoing testing in India and has been common in the European cars of the company. In addition to this, the BR-V may also have the 1.5 litre i-VTEC motor which is the same as the one on the Honda City. The engine delivers 120PS in terms of power as well as 145 Nm of torque. Both of these options are likely to get a CVT of a six speed manual transmission option.
In terms of size, the car is 4455mmin terms of length, 1650mm in height and 1735mm in width. It also has a wheelbase of 2660mm and a ground clearance of 200mm. Production for the Honda BR-V is likely to begin in India around April 2016 at the Rajasthan plant of the company. While the pricing in Indonesia have been revealed, India pricing on those lines is expected to be between Rs. 10.80 lakh to Rs.12.40 lakh.
Honda India is likely to start the production of the BR-V in India around April next year with the car being produced at the Tapukara facility of the automaker in Rajasthan. Initially to be started with an annual production capacity of 36000 units, the BR-V will be one of the few indigenously produced cars of the company in India.
The car was seen first at the International Auto Show in Gaikindo in Indonesia this August and is to be available in both petrol as well as diesel variants. While the petrol edition of the car will have the 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine, the diesel variant will come with an engine that is the same that Honda uses on the City. As per sources, the car may also be available in an alternative a 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel engine that powers the Civic and CR-V but we will have to wait for a confirmation from the company on this. The BR-V is likely to enter into the super competitive small SUV segment where it will take on the Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport and the Hyundai Creta.
India has been one of the most successful markets for Honda with cars such as the Civic and the City tasting great success across the country. It will now look to make a mark in the small SUV segment with this offering and knowing Honda’s commitment to quality, it is quite likely to shake up the situation in the segment.
Late last year, Honda had shown its FCV fuel cell vehicle concept and this year, the company has realised that step and showcased the production version of the car. It is also set to make a full fledged debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this year.
Honda has already released the popular FXC Clarity family car and the FCV is an attempt to follow in its footsteps. The company has yet to announce the engine that will be used on the vehicle, but it is likely that it will have a high-pressure hydrogen storage tank that would allow as much as 700km in terms of driving range. It is also likely to be easy to refuel and follow the Toyota Mirai on those lines. In fact Honda is working towards making refuelling as simple as the petrol and diesel refuelling today and has begun efforts to make sure that they can increase the reach of the vehicle.
In comparison to the FCX, Honda has made some significant headway in terms of both performance improvements as well as cost reduction. The fuel cell stack is to be 33 per cent smaller and even then, Honda claims that they have managed to better performance by as much as 60 per cent.
The Honda FCV is likely to hit stores end of March 2016 and sales will begin from Japan. This will be followed by commercial launches in both the US and Europe.
As many as 223.578 vehicles have been recalled by Honda in India in order to replace the airbag inflators and this is part of the global recall campaign of the carmaker. Vehicles that are part of this recall include the previous generation CR-V, Civic, Jazz and the City. Honda will be carrying out replacements free of cost at the various HCIL dealerships across the country and this will be done in a phased manner. The first phase will begin on October 12th and there will be direct communication between the company and the customers.
Owners of Honda cars can check as to whether their car would be part of this recall campaign and this can be done by submitting the 17 character alpha-numeric Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the microsite that has been specially created on the website of the company for this purpose.
Among the manufactured vehicles, included are the CR-V which were produced during 2004 and 2011 and the Civic which was produced between 2003 and 2012. The Jazz models manufactured between 2009 and 2011 as well as the City models manufactured between 2007 and 2012 are also included in the recall.
This is not the first time a major carmaker is issuing a recall. Various large manufacturers in the past have issued such recalls at a great cost to the company and amid much uproar from the public so it will be interesting to see how this recall goes.
The 2016 Civic Sedan has been revealed by Honda and will come riding on an all-new platform. The car features a fastback design and will also be available in various body types including the coupe, five-door hatchback as well as the Si model. One of the US market firsts will also be the launch of the car in the Type R model.
Globally, the sedan is to be powered by a 2.0-liter, 16-valve, DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine as well as a direct-injected and turbocharged inline-4 1.5-liter i-VTEC motor. The transmission will either be a 6-speed manual or an automatic transmission.
Design wise too, the Honda Civic sees some changes and looks fresh and new. The car is about two inches wider as well as one inch lower and has a wheelbase that is 1.2 inches longer as compare to the earlier model. In addition to this, it also has LED headlight as well as C shaped tail lamps which add to the overall looks of the car. In terms of interiors, the car has a 7-inch HD infotainment system which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
This launch though, was restricted to North America alone. It is likely to take at least a couple of years before the car goes into production here in India. Earlier this year, Honda’s 9th gen Civic was seen at the Tapukara plant of the company in Rajasthan. So the next generation of the car may be a fair distance away still.
