Honda Amaze to take on Maruti Suzuki DZire and Tata Manza on its launch

Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL), a subsidiary of Japanese auto maker Honda Motor Co., has revealed intentions to introduce a new compact sedan called Amaze in Indian market somewhere around the beginning of next financial year. Based on Brio hatchback, the Honda Amaze compact sedan is anticipated to be designed on the similar lines of Maruti Suzuki's Swift DZire model. Hence, industry experts have pinned the upcoming Amaze sedan to offer some sweet resistance to the segment leader Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire along with Tata Motors' Manza compact sedan.

Being based on Brio hatch, the yet-to-be launched Honda Amaze saloon is anticipated to carry similar design cues and styling curves derived from its little cousin. Specific details are yet to come up regarding the power-mill to be installed under-the-hood of Amaze sedan, coming from stables of the Japanese auto maker. And accordingly, none information can be said with certainty regarding power and performance outputs of the compact sedan along with its mileage characteristics. However, HCIL is expected to introduce its Amaze model in both petrol and diesel variants in the Indian passenger car market.

From the initial spy shots, Honda Amaze sedan appears to be scoring better points than Maruti Suzuki and Tata Manza, due to its fresh appeal and ultra-modish looks. The scene seems similar when it comes to interior styling as well and Amaze will definitely entice domestic car enthusiasts as compared to Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire. However, with the phenomenal revamp of Manza compact sedan in form of its newly launched Club Class variant, it is doubtful if its Honda and Maruti Suzuki counterparts could live up to expectations. The Tata Manza Club Class has been trimmed with several first-in-class segment defining interior and exterior attributes, which could deter the Indian car lovers from exploring other options in entry-level sedan segment.

The pricing is going to be an issue with Honda Brio sedan, as most of HCIL models are considerably expensive than their direct contemporaries. Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire is offered to Indian consumers within a price bracket around Rs. 5 and Rs. 7.4 lacs in the country, while Tata Manza carries retail values between Rs. 5.4 lacs and Rs. 8 lacs. Hence, the yet-to-be launched Honda Amaze sedan could be launched with a price tag close to Rs. 6 lacs and Rs. 9 lacs for its petrol and diesel models, respectively.