I firmly believe that one good product can bring a carmaker back into the game. We have seen how things changed for Honda Cars India post the launch of Amaze - the company's first diesel car. Then came the new generation Honda City, which in a short span of time became the segment leader. Honda now has two more game-changing products, which are expected to take the Japanese automajor's sales to newer heights.
Of the two products that the company is planning to launch, Honda Mobilio will be the first to enter the market. Speaking to NDTV Auto, Hironori Kanayama, CEO & President, Honda Cars India said that the Mobilio MPV will be aunched during third quarter, this year, which means any time between July and October. The new-generation Jazz is expected to be launched by end of this year or early 2015.
The Mobilio is a 7-seater MPV, which will be pitted against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Chevrolet Enjoy and Nissan Evalia. The more-feature rich variant of the vehicle will take on Toyota Innova.
The reason I called it a 'game-changer' is the frugal 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine it will come up with, which is claimed to return the best-in-class fuel efficiency of 24.2kmpl. The similar engine also powers the Amaze and City, and both the cars are most fuel efficient products of their respective segments.
Developed on the Brio hatchback platform, the Mobilio will measure over 4.4 metres in length, which will make it more spacious than the Ertiga. What is also impressive is its 185mm ground clearance, which is better than many MPVs that are on sale in India.
