Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL), a subsidiary of the Japanese automotive giant Honda Motor Company, is all geared up towards the launch of an automatic variant of its popular Brio hatchback in the Indian car market on October 18, 2012. The Brio hatch has spearheaded the company's campaign in the small car segment and an automatic transmission capability will surely attract a decent number of daily commuting urban Indian buyers.
The yet-to-be launched Brio AT hatch is going to be involved in a direct tussle against the rival automatics like Hyundai i10 AT Kappa2 and Maruti Suzuki A-Star AT in the country. The contest is going to be interesting as from the value-for-money point of view, the A-Star AT scores the maximum points, while taking into account the power and performance characteristics, the i10 AT Kappa2 emerges as an absolute winner. The upcoming Honda Brio AT is expected to feature superior transmission characteristics and an overall hassle free driving experience, which could come in handy towards propelling its sales in the country.
Coming to under the hood attributes of the Honda Brio AT, the new model is anticipated to feature the same 1.2 litre i-VTEC motor, which churns out a peak power-torque delivery around 87 bhp and 110 Nm, respectively. The fuel efficiency of the new car is going to be a big concern, considering its automatic gearbox and only time will tell how the car delivers on an actual day-to-day basis. The power-mill is believed to come assimilated with a five-speed automatic transmission system that ensures a convenient routine city driving experience.
The automatic cars are steadily gaining momentum in the Indian passenger car market and their future appears promising. HCIL seems to be making a right decision by launching the Brio AT at the onset of Indian festivities and the car is believed to carry a moderate launch price upon its arrival.
