Coming to the possible roadmap for Honda’s diesel engined cars to be launched in India, a news report carried by the EconomicTimes suggests that the Brio might indeed be the first Honda car model in India to be outfitted with a diesel engine. The City sedan is another car that could see a diesel engine under the hood. Once a best seller in the C-segment sedan space, the lack of a diesel engined variant has seen the model slowly losing market share to rivals like Hyundai, Volkswagen and Nissan. So, a diesel engine is very much needed to resurrect the Honda City’s stature as a top selling car in its class.
The story goes on to assert that the Brio diesel will debut by the middle of 2013, which is just a year away. A 1.2 Liter, three cylinder version and a 1.5 Liter, four potter turbo diesel could be in the works. The Jazz could be the other car that could get a diesel engine, with a likely launch at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The brand already has diesel engines ready to be deployed in its other cars such as the Civic, the Accord and the CR-V crossover. In fact, Honda sells diesel versions of all the three aforementioned cars in the European market, which is extremely diesel friendly.
Likewise, Honda indeed needs diesel cars in its portfolio if the brand wants to remain relevant in India, as the cost difference between petrol and diesel has further widened to an unprecedented high with the latest hike in petrol prices, days ago. Honda currently has no diesel engined cars in its India portfolio and the new range of turbo diesel engines are seen as a saviour for the brand, which has clearly lost its way,amidst plummeting sales over the past couple of years. Honda for its part continues to officially deny that it is planning to launch diesel engined cars in 2013.
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